By ANN PIERCEALL

Herald-Whig Staff Writer

HANNIBAL, Mo. -- Military history enthusiasts, veterans and the public will get the opportunity to step onto a piece of working history that saw World War II combat action from the Mediterranean to Normandy when the LST-325 Memorial docks at the Hannibal riverfront Aug. 21-25.

The LST, or Landing Ship Tank, was the workhorse of the military in three wars -- World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam. LSTs were amphibious vessels designed to land battle-ready tanks, troops and supplies directly on enemy shores.

LST-325 is the only vessel left from World War II that still operates under its own power. This will be the vessel's first-ever visit to the Upper Mississippi. It will also dock at Moline, Ill., and Clinton and Fort Madison, Iowa. Its home base is in Evansville, Ind.

"The main mission of the ship is to preserve and to educate the general public on the role LSTs played in military history," said Terry Tull, president of the memorial's board of directors.

Tull, a Vietnam veteran who served on an LST, began volunteering for the memorial project four years ago. He said the boats have a fascinating history.

Many were built at shipyards in the Midwest by women who filled in for the men at war. More than 1,000 LSTs were built for World War II, but after the war they became scrap metal or were given to other countries.

LST-365 was saved from the scrapyard in Greece in 2000. Navy veterans saved the ship with an act of Congress, bringing it home in 2001. A skeleton crew of 29 veterans, average age 72, sailed it back over the Atlantic.

Tull said the tours LST-365 now provides draw as many as 4-5,000 visitors a day. They include LST and other military veterans and their families as well as the curious.

"It's a history connection thing. In general, the people in the United States are more patriotic than sometimes the media makes them out to be, especially in the Midwest," he said.

Beau Hicks, executive director of the Hannibal Convention & amp; Visitors Bureau, said it's a unique opportunity for people to see a working piece of history.

"It's the only one of its kind left. This ship is one of the ships that landed on the beaches of World War II. It fought in Vietnam. It has a lot of history," he said.

Hicks said in addition to the memorial, HCVB will offer free outdoor movies Thursday and Friday evenings beginning at dusk. The features will include "Pearl Harbor" and other classic World War II films.

Also planned is a special presentation and luncheon for Friday at noon, which Hicks is encouraging area veterans to attend. The first 200 people will get a free meal, and Brigham Young University performers Vocal Point will perform.

On Saturday and Sunday World War II reenactors will set up a camp in Glascock's Landing that includes vintage military vehicles.

For more information contact HCVB at (573) 221-2477 or go online at www.VisitHannibal.com or lstmemorial.org.

--apierceall@whig.com/(573) 221-5879