Historic ship could dock in Jeffersonville

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June 21, 2012

Historic ship could dock in Jeffersonville

USS LST 325 was same model produced by Jeffboat during World War II

By JEROD CLAPP jerod.clapp@newsandtribune.com The News and Tribune Thu Jun 21, 2012, 06:00 AM EDT

JEFFERSONVILLE — A World War II vessel that has visited Jeffersonville a handful of times may soon be calling the city home.

Jeffersonville Mayor Mike Moore earlier this year formed a committee to investigate bringing the USS LST 325 from Evansville to dock in Jeffersonville. The group recently traveled to Evansville on a fact-finding trip, where they met with LST directors to review the vessel’s operations.

In a news release on Wednesday, Moore said the conversation was initiated by USS LST Ship Memorial Inc. He said discussions are preliminary.

“We’re excited to have support from [city] council members as we explore the possibility of bringing the LST to Jeffersonville,” Moore said. “It’s an exciting idea, but it’s still early.”

Councilman Dennis Julius voiced his support for exploring the initiative in his closing comments at Monday’s Jeffersonville City Council meeting, and he along with other city council members will continue to work with the group as they progress, according to the release.

Moore said the ship could draw interest from World War II buffs and boost the local economy.

“An attraction like this could be a draw for tourism, offers historical and educational value and potentially could be a unique addition to the growing Jeffersonville riverfront,” Moore said in the release. “It’s definitely worth some consideration.”

Jim Keith, executive director of the Clark-Floyd Tourism Bureau, said though the committee has worked since January, financial and infrastructure planning are still in the beginning stages.

“That’s part of the process in this point of time,” Keith said. “We’re responding to an overture from them and at this point, we’re trying to see if this is something that’s feasible or if it can be worked out.”

Keith said along with raising the money to get the ship from Evansville to here, Jeffersonville needs to build a dock for the ship. According to the release, the ship might have a contractual obligation to stay in Evansville until October 2015, but that is still under negotiation.

Moore’s committee plans to conduct a formal feasibility study before making a final decision. In addition to viability, issues currently in question include the ship’s potential location and the financial aspects of the project, including the likelihood of the ship’s ability to generate self-sustaining revenue. Moore said he anticipates that if the LST project is destined to come to fruition for Jeffersonville, it will have to rely primarily on private sources, grants, corporate giving and other alternative funding — rather than taxpayer dollars.

According to the release, Jeffboat produced 123 LST boats during World War II, though the USS LST 325 was not built there. The USS LST 325 is one of two remaining vessels, which were also produced in Pittsburgh, New Orleans and Evansville.