Most museum pieces sit behind glass. This one still travels under its own power.
LST-325, a World War II-era landing ship that carried troops, vehicles and supplies during the war, has arrived in Tennessee for a three-stop fall tour. The massive gray vessel will welcome visitors in Hendersonville, Ashland City and Clarksville over the next few weeks.
For Tennesseans, that creates a rare chance to do more than look at old photographs or artifacts. Visitors can actually walk through a ship built for one of the biggest military operations of the 20th century.
WKRN reported that LST-325 reached Hendersonville on Monday, Sept. 21. Public tours there begin Wednesday, Sept. 23. The ship's own 2026 schedule confirms the Tennessee tour and says it will remain away from its Evansville, Indiana, home port until mid-October.
Three Tennessee stops are on the schedule
The ship is spending nearly three weeks moving through Middle Tennessee along the Cumberland River.
- Hendersonville: Sept. 23-29 at Sanders Ferry Park, 513 Sanders Ferry Road.
- Ashland City: Oct. 1-6 at River Bluff Park, 175 Old Cumberland Street.
- Clarksville: Oct. 8-12 at McGregor Park and Cumberland Riverwalk, 640 North Riverside Drive.
Tours are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at each stop. They are self-guided, although docents will be available to answer questions. The museum also uses QR codes around the ship to provide more information.
Admission is $20 for adults and $10 for children ages 6 through 17. Kids 5 and younger get in free. Tickets can be purchased at the ship or online, according to the museum.
That makes this more than a quick photo opportunity from the riverbank. Visitors get to go inside a working piece of military history.
This ship actually went to Normandy
“LST” stands for Landing Ship, Tank. These vessels were built to carry heavy equipment, soldiers and supplies and then unload them directly onto a shore.
LST-325 was part of the Allied effort surrounding the D-Day invasion of Normandy.
The LST-325 museum's archives say the ship reached Omaha Beach on June 7, 1944, the day after the initial D-Day landings. On June 12, it made its first full landing at Utah Beach.
Its wartime work did not end there.
Museum records say LST-325 eventually completed 44 trips to France before its final wartime Channel crossing in April 1945. Those missions included moving tanks, ammunition and other supplies.
That history gives the Tennessee visit a different feel from touring a replica.
This is not a newly built ship designed to show people what World War II might have looked like. Visitors are stepping onto the vessel itself.
Keeping an old warship moving is part of the story
Perhaps the most unusual thing about LST-325 is that it still sails.
The nonprofit USS LST Ship Memorial says the vessel is the only operational LST in World War II configuration afloat in U.S. waters. Its normal home is in Evansville, Indiana, but it travels to other river cities during its annual cruise. Previous destinations have included Nashville and Chattanooga.
The ship's modern American chapter is nearly as unusual as its wartime history.
After serving with the United States, LST-325 eventually entered the Greek Navy. The nonprofit acquired the vessel in 2000, and a veteran crew brought it roughly 6,500 miles from Crete back to the United States. Volunteers then prepared the ship for public tours.
Today, volunteers continue to operate and maintain it.
That matters because LST-325 is not being moved from town to town on a trailer. Its ability to travel is part of what makes the museum unusual.
Visitors should expect stairs — and heat
There are a few practical details families may want to know before heading out.
The museum warns that the ship can feel 10 to 15 degrees hotter inside than the outdoor temperature. There are also six flights of stairs along the tour route. During traveling exhibits, only the tank deck is accessible to wheelchairs, walkers and strollers.
Parents of young children should also be ready for a space that was designed as a warship, not as a modern attraction. The museum advises visitors to watch for low overhead areas, doors, railings and equipment.
In other words, this is not a polished theme-park version of naval history. Much of the appeal is getting a sense of the tight, heavy and practical spaces sailors actually worked in.
For Tennessee families, veterans, history fans and anyone who has driven past a riverfront park and wondered what it would look like with a World War II landing ship tied up outside, the next few weeks offer an uncommon answer.
And unlike many traveling exhibits, this one has to sail away when the visit is over.
Sources
WKRN News 2, reporting on LST-325's arrival and Tennessee tour.
USS LST Ship Memorial official 2026 cruise and visitor information. LST-325 2026 Tennessee cruise schedule
USS LST Ship Memorial history and archival material. About LST-325
USS LST Ship Memorial archive on the ship's Normandy service. LST-325 at Utah Beach
