More than 20,000 people toured a World War II warship at Sanders Ferry Park in September.

The LST-325, the only operational Landing Ship Tank (LST) remaining from the war, docked on Old Hickory Lake from Sept. 23 through Sept. 29 as part of its 2026 fall river tour. The floating museum served in combat during the war, including the D-Day landings at Normandy, according to Hendersonville Lifestyle.

"It is one thing to read about World War II in a history book, but it is something completely different to walk aboard a ship from that era and see firsthand what our servicemen experienced," Hendersonville Parks and Recreation Director Andy Gilley told Hendersonville Lifestyle.

Gilley said the experience of walking aboard and thinking about those who lost their lives was something he would never forget. He credited Hendersonville resident and former LST crew member John Tallent with helping bring the ship to Sanders Ferry Park.

Mayor Jamie Clary called the visit "a rare connection to the service and sacrifices of the Greatest Generation" and said docking the ship in Hendersonville created an opportunity to share those stories with the next generation, according to Hendersonville Lifestyle.

Built for the beaches

The LST class provided the backbone of military maritime transportation during World War II. American shipyards produced 1,051 of the vessels, which were built to transport tanks, vehicles, heavy equipment and troops directly onto beachheads during amphibious operations, according to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report.

LST-325 was built in 1942 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard and commissioned in 1943. The ship participated in the occupations of Salerno and Sicily before joining the armada at Normandy, where it landed troops on the beaches of France, according to the Corps of Engineers report. It earned two battle stars by its 1946 decommissioning.

The vessel later served in the Greek Navy under the name Syros. In 2000, a group of LST veterans located the ship in Greece and brought it back to the United States, a process that required an act of Congress, the Corps of Engineers reported.

The ship is homeported in Evansville, Indiana, where it operates as a static museum 11 months of the year. Each fall, a volunteer crew takes it on a river tour.

Ken Rupp, cruise director for the LST-325, told the Corps of Engineers that about 50 volunteers keep the ship running. About half are veterans. The rest wanted to tell the ship's story, Rupp said, noting that some had grandfathers who served on similar vessels or mothers who helped build them.

Navigating the Cumberland River with the vessel is no small task. The ship burns roughly 7 gallons of fuel per mile, and the crew must constantly adjust ballast tanks to ride high enough for shallow river channels, the Corps of Engineers reported.

Tadd Potter, Cheatham Lake natural resources program manager, said the sight of the warship passing through Cheatham Lock drew crowds of its own. Vehicles lined the roadway and parking lots filled as people gathered to watch, Potter said.

After Hendersonville, the LST-325 stopped in Ashland City from Oct. 1 through Oct. 6 and Clarksville from Oct. 8 through Oct. 12 before heading back to Evansville.