USS LST 393 Veterans Museum
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
The LST 393 is a transport ship that was used during WWII by the US Navy. Although over 1000 LSTs were built, the 393 is only one of two still in existence. Launched in 1942, it participated in three invasions in Europe, including the D-Day invasion of Normandy. It was later used as a commercial ship to transport cars and passengers across Lake Michigan. Today it is preserved as a museum dedicated to veterans and telling the history of WWII.
Images
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
The LST 393 was launched on November 11, 1942. The ship participated in three
invasions in Europe, at Sicily, Salerno, and Omaha Beach at Normandy. It made
75 voyages to foreign shores, including 30 to the beaches of Normandy.2
It was there on the D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944, and the museum still has
the flag that was flown that day. The LST 393 was later reassigned to the US's operations in the Pacific and painted tropical green camo, but the war ended before it could leave for Japan.3
After the end of the war, the LST became a
merchant ship renamed the MV Highway 16. It carried cars across Lake Michigan to Milwaukee until 1973. A group of dedicated military history buffs raised the funds to have the ship moved back to Muskegon and extensively renovated. Today the LST 393 is a museum with numerous events and programs, including a D-Day Commemoration Ceremony and a Veterans' Job Fair. In the summer, movies are shown on a projector on the deck to the public.