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LST-325 Tour & Major's Art & Hobby QCA, 2018

Rhino

Super Moderator
1 September, 2018. My Teresa & I sally forth from Marion, IA into the wilds of Eastern Iowa river country.
Primary Objective: Tour LST-325. Gather human & photo intelligence. Meet new friends, Honor our Veterans.
B/S with everyone else we see!

Secondary Objective: Locate and plunder Major's Hobby shop. Consume a satisfying quantity of Whitey's Ice Cream.
PICTURES!!

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Young Sheldon Cooper came to visit this day!

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My Honey asked if had a hair brush. ( :idonno ) I never tire of watching the wind's effect on long, feminine hair.

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Given LST-325's WW-II history it seemed only fitting to find General George S. Patton, in his 3-star decorations, exhorting the masses & directing traffic, as He might have during the Sicily invasion!
 
The long line of enthusiasts & well-wishes only took a little over an hour to gain entrance to the Old Gator.
Lots of time to make new friends, swap lies, and take pictures!
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"Now hear this! All hands turn to, top-side! Prepare to repel boarders!"
I had hoped to see muskets & Cutlasses abound, However, 325 is not quite THAT old!
Scurvy false Paddle-wheeler passed close aboard, none of her lilly-livered company made any attack.

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Repulsed by the valiant complement of Vet's & well wishers, Celebration Belle skulked off, up-river.
ARRGH!! Another Day, You flat-bottomed Floozy!

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"Move along! C'mon! Keep it going!"
 
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Almost there! The Tank deck is in view! Almost time to see how much investigation I can do without getting caught!
This is a functioning, living Vessel, most of Her systems are operating. I try to curb my inclination to try everything out.
I TRY! I DO! :smack

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Tank deck! HOT! Lots of things to see!

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Auxiliary Generator space. You Lookee! No touchie, Joe!

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Bo'sun's shop. Teresa's Drill-press may well have been from the US Navy!


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Holly Pisting! That cain't be good!

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Other interesting fittings!

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Battery compartment.

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Overhead hatch. beamed, planked and battened. this is for loading heavy, framed items from the pier, by big crane.
You don't see this on the model!

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Neptunis Rex' own torque wrench! Holly Buckets!

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Lego LST-325! Wait until the guys at Battle Brick see this!
Le'go my LST! You Bastiges!!

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A more traditional scale rendering of ARL-20, USS Pentheus a landing craft repair ship. :notworthy (y)
 
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An american company decided to reproduce the 7 engine oil filters needed for each of LST-325's Detroit Diesel engines.
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This gives you some idea of how big the engines are.

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M-170 MASH Jeep, circa 1954. I cain't rightly say why it's plugged in. Hybrid conversion perhaps? :idonno

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Plaques commererate ship's company that made the voyage back home possible. These dedcated volunteers spent their own money, time, and talents to bring The Ol' Gray Gator-ship back home. :salute :eek:ldguy

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The Crew's Head, under restoration.
 
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Ships Galley. Chocolate chip cookies underway. There is also an operating ice cream (Gedunk) freezer!

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The Skipper took time out of his busy day to take our picture. Mount 46.(?!) No ready ammo was on hand.
A few of the 40mm guns are fired by propane.
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THIS I just could not resist!

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Inside was Betty Grable! HA!!

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The crew warned us not to pay any attention to "The crabby Admiral" They did NOT call Him by name.............
We may have found Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner's final command!
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Pictures of the wheelhouse. No, We didn't play with anything!
The round bridge lay-out puts me in mind of what a Man might see aboard an early Fletcher-class Destroyer.


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Main deck view. Any vehicle with rubber tires can be transported on the main deck. There is an elevator (not a ramp) that carries vehicles to the tank deck/bow ramp. That's not on my 1/700 Models either!
 
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Given my fondness for all things US Navy, for History, and for our Nation's Veterans, I could not resist the invitation to join LST-325's "crew".
Given the herculean efforts of these Men, and many others to return this Vessel to our Country, my donation seemed minuscule.
A Hearty "Well Done!" to the Officers, ships company, and volunteers that made our visit to this historic vessel so friendly, so informative, and so much fun!

Fair winds and following Seas, Shipmates!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDjwUzUnNpU
 
Chris this was an amazing report; with just the right amount of perfect humor interspersed throughout. I broke out laughing at the nuclear codes sign! What a scream that was! Man, I would love to be able to visit that ship.

The docent's humor on board this ship reminded me of the first time I visited the USS Iowa here in Long Beach CA. They had just opened a few months earlier and I was part of a gaming group that was demonstrating naval war games on the fantail. As we were packing up, a cruise ship approached to pass us on the way to their cruise with all the people lining the rails, watching the battleship as they passed by. As it got closer, I noticed some movement and looked up to see the rear 16" turret turning toward the cruise ship and following it; keeping the guns trained on the cruise ship as it passed by. They did the same thing with the forward turrets too, following the cruise ship until the turret was trained forward again! LOL! Everyone on the cruise ship was cheering; what a hilarious time, especially since many of the people on the cruise ship had toured the Iowa before board their ship. You gotta love people with a sense of humor!

If you got more pics, post 'em! I can't get enough of things like this.
 
I don't want to leave out the few pictures I have of Major's!
I the old, riverfront main street-ish part of Davenport, you find a corner store front on the end of a brick block long structure.
Door to the side of a display window. Creaky hard wood floor. Friendly Folk. Just like the LHS of some of our childhoods.
The basement is where one finds the collections of Modelers who have "Gone West" before us.
Prominent in this "Hobby Bunker" was the name "Brown". From accounts of the friendly staff, Mr. Brown's stash exceeded my own & Chuck Sterns' combined by quite a margin!
Have a Look-see!
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We arrived 10 minutes before closing. The Major's staff allowed me into the basement at that time. (Fools!)
In the allotted time, I didn't have a chance to dig deep enough to uncover a treasure I lacked the ability to continue Life without. Many classic models await further examination! Prices were reasonable as well.
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The "Duck" sign is NOT just for decoration!
Many thanks to the modeler friendly staff at Major's!! We had a fine, too short, visit!
 
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No visit to the QCA is complete with out a visit to Whitey's Ice Cream store!
Teresa savored a single scoop of Banana Graham in a sugar cone. (No pictures, Men. Watching my Sweetheart enjoy Her Ice Cream cone is for MY eyes alone! :drool )
I ambitiously attacked a double scoop of Coconut Joy over Super Blueberry Cheesecake.
I only got a little on my clothes! (y)
Overall, an outstanding day with all objectives accomplished. Weather remained fair & warm.
The Kia did require new rear disc brakes the following afternoon, after just 74,000 miles of Dixie Flyer travel.

Thanks for looking in and sharing Our Fun!
:salute
:eek:ldguy
:pilot
 
Chris, sounds like you had a great time.
Our wait in Dubuque was 2.5 hours to get on, you were lucky at an hour.
Haven't been to Majors in 5 years it is good to see they have added to the basement stash.
Frank
:drinks
 
Thank you Brothers, for all your appreciation for my impressions of LST-325.
I am cheered to find we can share, perhaps only vicariously, the adventures & fun that we post here on M.A.

I shook Gen'l Patton's hand at one point. Teresa wanted to know it I would ever wash that hand again.
"Of Course I will! Soonest! I touched an Army Guy!"

What one cannot appreciate on-line is the textures, the smells, the wind off the water on your face while a Man treads these hallowed steel decks, the warmth of the visitors and the hospitality of the Crew. The Honor offered to Veterans, who ride to the front of the line among peals of applause. The temptation to slide down the ladders and the spring in your step as you ascend these ladders smartly. Just as much younger men may have, so very long ago.

I sent an email link to the Memorial's site to seek their thoughts. On Labor Day, their Director took the time from his holiday to respond.

Mr. Rhiner,

Thank you very much for visiting the LST-325 during cruise and for joining our Memorial! Every bit of support and good will means the world to our organization and helps to keep this wonderful piece of history sailing. I have taken the chance to look at your posts and photographs via the link and it all looks quite good. Thank you again.

Sincerely,

Andrew Schade
Museum Operations Manager
USS LST Ship Memorial
840 LST Drive
Evansville, IN 47713

Here in our beloved Country, while some ignore and sometimes tear down our History, it was my great privilege and pleasure to do some small part to share this living historical microcosm.
Lest we forget the sacrifices made by the Men & Women who Serve the causes of Freedom & Liberty.
Thanks for coming along, in a minuscule fashion, for The Ride.
Bless your hearts.
 
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