Navy Days brought LST to Cape Girardeau in 1945

As I write this blog, my feet are still aching from all the walking and standing my sister and I did during the weekend's glorious Cape Girardeau Heritage Days. From concerts to tours and demonstrations, to colorful quilts and a touching memorial at Fairmount Cemetery, the first few days of October were everything a history lover like me could want.

One of the things we skipped, though, was the tour of LST 325 (Landing Ship Tank 325, as my brother pointed out). Not because we weren't interested, but because of time constraints and because we had toured the same vessel when it docked here in June 2003. I can still remember filing through the stifling ship.

A friend of mine, Charlotte Slinkard, reminded me that the first time an LST docked at the Cape Girardeau wharf was just after the end of World War II. LST 175 was moored here for a week, offering locals -- including Charlotte -- a chance to tour the ship and helping them observe Navy Day.

LST 175 arrived here on Sunday, Oct. 21, 1945, coming here from New Orleans. The World War II ship was "a veteran of the campaign in the Atlantic, including the Normandy invasion." It also saw service in the Indian Ocean.

A story published in the Southeast Missourian Oct. 25, 1945, gives a sampling of the week's activities.

The next day's coverage remarked that visitors toured the LST at a rate of 412 persons an hour, or 1,236 people during a three-hour period the previous afternoon. Much of the article was devoted to naming the members of the crew, who took part in the programs at the local schools for Navy Day:

"Those from the crew in the party were: Arthur F. Fecickanin, signalman second class; Thomas E. Fellows, quartermaster third class; David B. Goodman, quartermaster second class; George H. Kustner, storekeeper second class; Hugh D. Fitzgerald, seaman first class; Carl J. Nash, yeoman second class; Jack H. Buckles, seaman first class; Joe Tom Sweat, seaman second class; Richard B. Hosey, signalman third class; George M. Pazerak, seaman first class; Peter A. San Miguel, pharmacist's mate first class; Joseph M. Edwards Jr., seaman first class; William H. Hideen, seaman second class; Gail W. Swonger, seaman first class; Carl Deakins, radioman second class; Roland Laborie, fireman second class; Stanley F. Pietrzak, coxswain; Robert J. Scherer, electrician's mate second class; John P. Eberhardt, coxswain; Harry F. Butler, gunner's mate second class; Edward J. Shane, gunner's mate third class."

This photograph, published Oct. 25, 1945, shows some of the LST's officers.

(These) are some of the officers in charge. Left to right the are: Lieut. Justin W. Winney, commanding officer; Ensign John J.F. Tarpey, navigation officer; Lieut. (j.g.) Kenneth H. Peterson, first lieutenant; Lieut. (j.g.) Wilbert Darling, communications officer; Ensign Frederick A. Geib, stores officer; Ensign Donald R. Sponcey, small boat officer, and Lieut. (j.g.) Henry A. Kleier, engineering officer.

The LST and its accommodating crew proved to be very popular, with close to 16,000 persons turning out over four days' time to tour the vessel.

Published Oct. 29, 1945:

Some of the crowd of 6,008 persons who went aboard the USS LST 175 Sunday afternoon are shown above. This p hoto shows a portion of the deck of the 328-foot vessel, looking north from Themis Street. (G.D. Fronabarger ~ Southeast Missourian archive)

Missourian photographer G.D. Fronabarger managed to get a picture of the crew while the LST was docked here. This image was published in the newspaper Oct. 25, 1945.

This photo was made Wednesday afternoon of some of the Navy crew manning the USS LST 175 as it lay at anchor in the Mississippi River. This view was made looking forward from the stern, a part of the city's industrial district revealed in the background. (G.D. Fronabarger ~ Southeast Missourian archive)