HISTORIC VESSEL TO HOST THUNDER SPECTATORS
2006-02-28T10:15:31
Thunder Over Louisville fans this year will have the opportunity to watch the Thunder Air show and fireworks display on the Ohio River aboard a floating platform tethered to a historic World War Two landing ship. McDonald’s Thunder Funder supporters at the “Five-Star Viewing” level ($150 per person) will have all-day access to tour the LST-325, an amphibious vessel designed to land battle-ready tanks, troops and supplies directly onto the shore.
The floating venue connected to the LST-325 will include a private, catered viewing area for the Thunder show. The LST will be moored east of the Belle of Louisville and west of the 2nd Street Bridge, providing a front row seat for the show. Patrons with “Five-Star Viewing” also receive an “in and out” pass, which will allow them to enjoy the vessel, as well as the rest of the Thunder venue.
The USS LST-325 was built at the Philadelphia Naval Yard and launched on Oct. 27, 1942. Over the next year, the ship operated in the North Africa area and participated in the invasions at Sicily and Salerno, Italy. On June 6, 1944, LST-325 landed in the Omaha Beach area and became part of the largest armada in history by participating in the D-Day invasion. After the initial invasion, the ship made approximately 50 successful re-supply lifts from England to the French coast.
Following her service in World War Two – for which the ship received two battle stars – the LST undertook U.S. Arctic operations in the 1950s and later sailed in the service of the Greek Navy. In 2000, it was acquired by The USS LST Ship Memorial Inc. for restoration and display. The volunteer group’s efforts received considerable media attention when its veteran crew brought it on a 6,500-mile journey from the Greek island of Crete to Mobile, Alabama. The USS LST-325 is now permanently moored at Evansville, Indiana, and is open to the public for tours.
For more information, log on to www.lstmemorial.org or call (812) 435-8678.
Thunder Over Louisville - the Derby Festival's Opening Ceremonies - is one of the more than seventy events produced by the Derby Festival in the spring. The 2006 Thunder Over Louisville, themed “Thunder Country,” is set for Saturday, April 22 and will be the will be the seventeenth annual production. The show is sponsored by Caesars Indiana, Chase, E.ON U.S and UPS.
The Derby Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 350 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. It entertains more than 1.5 million people annually. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
