January: We spent the month in Florida vacationing and visiting friends. One of our stops was at the home of Ted Taylor who has taken on the task of obtaining the plaques listing the names of donors. We brought the first of these plaques (which look really great) back with us to Omaha. Designs have been drawn up for mounting these in the two main berthing compartments. The ship will be ready for these by the end of April. However, with all the care and proofreading needed, they will not all be mounted until the week before the convention.

February: Upon returning home from Florida we discovered that the river water level had dropped to below that of last year. The ship was resting on the river bottom causing a 10+ degree list to starboard. (This makes walking aboard quite an adventure.) We tied the display cabinets so they would not tip over and have made plans to secure them better in case of a repeat scenario next year. The list also caused the 3 stern wires to either part or slip their clamps, and the electric power line to be stretched to near-breaking. The electric line was disconnected from the ship and the mooring wires re-fastened.

March: Rain and melted snow have raised the river level and we now have only a 7 degree list. The shore-power cable had a 6 foot extension added to it and has been re-connected. With lights back on and unseasonably warm weather, we have been able to begin the post-winter cleanup, and prepare for work to begin again in earnest. The Corps of Engineers should begin releasing water from flood-control dams upstream around the first of April. In the meantime, the list has shifted all bilge water to the starboard side where we have begun the task of pumping, bailing and sponging as much out as we can. The same rain and melted snow mentioned above found their way from the tank deck to the crew wash room and shower. Jack removed 25 gallons of water from the interior, and the three offending holes have been patched.
The "Alligator Alley" lists a summary of work which we hope to accomplish in the next 6 months. If anyone should want a more detailed list, let me know and I will be happy to send you one. For those of you with campers or trailers, an alternate RV park for this area would be just across the river from the ship in Council Bluffs, Iowa. It's at the Bluffs Run Casino. (712) 323-2500. For $17.00 per night you get full hook-ups, security, laundry and a free breakfast buffet. It's 3 miles from the ship and 7 miles from the convention center.

April: Ahoy Shipmates. We are happy to report that the river has risen three feet and the starboard list is down to just 1 degree. Progress has been made this past month in the upper level of the engine room and after-troop compartment - starboard side. Most of the loose paint and rust have been removed, and primer applied to bulkheads, overheads, piping and interior of ammo locker. All we lack now is a volunteer (or volunteers) to apply the final coats of paint. The Navy Seabee reservists welded the supports for the commemorative plaques to the bulkheads in the berthing compartments. They also replaced one of the dead lights in the pilot house with a 12" porthole given to us by an LST sailor. Additionally, they mounted a flag bag which the Freedom Park Maintenance Supervisor (Ted) had fabricated. (He designed it after the one on the park's minesweeper, USS HAZARD, instead of using the LSM plans, but it's better than nothing.) The hatch cover leading down into the refrigerator and galley stores area has been removed and we will be letting some park visitors down in that area as early as the end of this month.
Individual ships, even though not able to come to Omaha, have been helping with the restoration. One rocket ship had every member submit a brief "blurb" and photos. This was all compiled into a book which tells the story of that particular ship. - Another group is arranging for a washing machine to be obtained/fabricated and placed aboard. - still another group is obtaining and binding the '45's deck logs.
- As each of you attend mini, regional or state meetings, take a minute and see if there is anything you might do as a group. What do you want people 50 years from now to remember about LSMs and your life aboard them? We are still looking for "job descriptions" to place around the ship in order to educate park visitors what each man did - what life aboard an LSM was like. One individual is writing his memories as a pharmacist mate during the invasion of Okinawa. An engine room diagram has been developed and made into a sign/display item. Personal photos of daily life could be blown up to 8 x 10 for display - especially of messing and berthing.

May 1: Ahoy from Omaha; The weather here was still a bit cool for most of the past month, but we were still able to work on several 'inside' projects.
- A large black and white photo of the LSM 45 was framed and will be displayed amongst the commemorative plaques, along with a Plexiglas wall hanging containing an ensign, which flew from the "45" during War II, and a commissioning pennant.
- The wartime-casualty reports which Chaplain Charlie has compiled have been bound into 4 volumes (in order by hull number) and placed in the Yeoman's Office / Ship's Archive Room.
- Plexiglas tops have been ordered for the tops of 4 tables in the berthing compartments. Photos and other interesting "stuff" will be placed under these and bolted onto the table to protect them.
- Still more Plexiglas has been purchased to be used for see-through doors on a couple of lockers and on a cabinet in Sick Bay. Jim Gunter, a Pharmacists Mate, has obtained medical supplies from Eckerd Drug, given the ship several medical-type books, and is on the trail of stethoscope, instrument sterilizer, blood pressure cuff, etc. What we are waiting for now is a volunteer to attach the hinges and hasps and hang them up.
-A second railing along both of the upper level engine room 'catwalks' is being welded into place for visitor safety by the Navy LST reservists. They also completed many small but necessary jobs for us. The SeaBee unit had out-of-state training this month.
-A sloped ladder down into the Master Gyro room has replaced the hard-to-reach vertical one.
-A signalman's stand has been found and is ready to mount on the conn. The signal and cargo lights are being readied for mounting.
-Work continues in the aft troop compartment. Those of you who saw it when it was full of water and junk will be truly amazed at the change. It's now white and clean instead of rusty orange.
-Jack continues to plug away on the exterior - chipping, de-rusting, priming and painting. He has accomplished a lot, but there is still an awful lot to do.
Watch for the next update around June 1st.
....................Judy

May 26th: Hello from Omaha; The '45 is really looking good now. This time last year no one was sure that we would ever get her cleaned up. To date, 74 LSM/LSMR members, 26 wives, and 32 family members, friends and local volunteers have given a little over 8,000 man-hours to restore the ship. Jack and I have spent roughly $10,000 on the restoration, and have taken in $3,368.90 in cash donations aboard the ship. (Many more donations have been made directly to Amphibious Ships Museum, who have used this money to reimburse us for all of these expenses).
The Navy LST Reserve unit from Lincoln could only give us one day this month, but did a lot of burning and hauling off of unneeded "stuff", as well as some welding and many small jobs to make the restoration go much faster. The Seabee reservists, also, were able to give us only one day this month. Their accomplishment was to mount the signalman's stand on the Conn.
Both of the upper level engine room catwalks, the boiler room and the aft troop compartment have been totally painted out. The general machine shop is about 50% painted. The blinker lights and cargo lights have all been renewed and are ready to mount. Fluorescent lights have been added to areas which up-to-now have had poor illumination. The wall boards for the donors' plaques have finally been mounted. Thanks Clyde!
Inside work will pretty much stop during June as we will concentrate on the superstructure - deck, fire stations, ventilator covers, goose-necks, bollards and anchor gear.
We plan to dress the ship for Memorial Day - flags flying from stem to stern - as a Memorial Day ceremony is usually held here at Freedom Park, and the community is invited for an open house.
The BIG news is that a contractor has been to the park and talked with park management about bringing the '45 up on dry land sometime in the next few months! Don't hold your breath just yet, proposals and permits are still needed, but at least talks have begun. If we get any more news, we'll send everyone an update.
Have a Happy Summer,
Jack and Judy.............

June 28: Hello from Omaha;
Nearly every area of the ship was worked on this past month. The most notable accomplishments follow:
A platform has been built from the foot of the ladder to the refrigerator / freezer / dry storage area (to cover the pipes) and the public is now allowed down inside. The 4 main display cases have been placed into brackets which are welded to the deck in order to prevent the cabinets from tipping over if the ship takes on a list next winter - we'll begin putting the display items back into the cabinets this coming month. In the meantime, flat items (photos, flags, etc) have been placed, under Plexiglas, on the various mess tables, and clothing and personal items have been placed in two lockers - with Plexiglas doors. In the galley area, Howard Buckingham has provided the ship with four Navy mess trays filled with fake food. One has your standard greasy pork chop, another contains SOS, while a third has powdered eggs - scrambled. On the shelf above all this, he has provided, amongst other things, a #10 can of everyone's favorite fruit cocktail. Thanks Buck.
It's now possible to walk through the engine room without getting dirty! Deck plates, hand rails, both generators and the tops of both main engines have been cleaned and painted. The fronts of both engines have been fairly well 'de-greased' and polished. A lot of oily, rusty "stuff" has been removed, and we have replaced all of the panels - front and back - on the electrical switchboard. Park visitors are now allowed to tour the area freely. In the General Machine Shop, the lathe, drill press, grinder, tables, cabinets and decks have been cleaned and painted.
Outside, the superstructure deck, flag bag deck and ladders to the conn and pilot house have been chipped, primed and painted out, as have most of the outside vents, fire stations, etc. As much of the conning tower as we can reach has been primed and painted. The CO's chair has been upholstered and is really quite comfy now!
We did dress the ship for Memorial Day, and plan to dress her for the convention if the winds are not too strong. A large sign has been purchased by Freedom Park and placed on the main road pointing the way to "WW II Landing Ship U.S.S. LSM 45". Parts of the training submarine, MARLIN and the minesweeper, HAZARD have been painted in preparation for all the visitors expected in September. New Freedom Park brochures have arrived - with the LSM getting "top billing". Talks are still going on in regards to taking the ship out of the water. The project is expected to take seven weeks, with another 10-14 days to cut the bow doors open and lower the ramp.
Our final update will be in 4 weeks - see you then.
Jack and Judy...........

June 30: To all you history buffs-
I have just received word from an Australian shipmate, Dave Perham (who, with his wife, came and painted the enlisted berthing compartment) that there is a very clear picture of the '45 in a book he found. It's called "OKINAWA: THE LAST BATTLE" by Roy E. Appleman and printed in 1948. It shows her beached alongside LSMs 142 and 322 loading at Leyte, PI.
Happy hunting.
Judy.........

July 1... Hello from Omaha;
Jack and I are pleased to announce that all areas are essentially finished, although touch-up work needs to be done in most places. All of the items which have been sent to us have been given to Amphibious Ships Museum (A.S.M.) and between them and us have been cataloged and placed aboard, on a loan basis, either as displays or in the Yeoman's Office. A phone call from Ted Taylor confirms that the commemorative plaques are completed and will be hung starting Labor Day.
On the Conn, the signal (blinker) lights and cargo lights have been mounted. The gyro repeater and magnetic compass binnacle, with cover, have been placed in position. The main and superstructure decks have been chipped, primed and partly painted, and the outside skin of the hull is being given a cosmetic paint job. For those of you who are curious, the restoration so far has required 90 gallons of light (haze) gray paint, 75 gallons of white, 65 gallons of primer and a lot of "Norwegian Steam".
We regret that there will not be enough time to tackle the gun tubs or ammo boxes, but that will be the challenge for someone else. A.S.M. has found a Korean War LSMer to visit the ship at least once a month during the 6 months that the park is open to "make rounds" and keep an eye on the general appearance of the ship. This person will also be taking an inventory of artifacts twice a year.
No new information about getting the ship out of the water, but it definitely will not happen - or start to happen before the convention.
See most of you in 5 weeks.
Judy

August: REUNION INFORMATION

Greetings Everyone;
Well, it's Showtime. For those of you who are planning to come to Freedom Park next month there are a few things to be aware of. If you are driving and need directions, let me know. Also, there is a great deal of roadconstruction near the park which might slow traffic down a bit, but it does keep moving.- one bridge has been torn down in preparation for the building of a new arena / convention center.
If you are arriving by plane, try to sit in seat "A" on the left hand side of the plane. If the winds are blowing in the normal direction, the plane will fly over the Missouri River about 10 seconds before touchdown. Just down-river from the trestle bridge is the LSM 45!! Look for her!!
Jack and I have arranged for the LSM to be open from 7 - 7 on Wednesday,Thursday and Friday, and 7 - 6 on Saturday. The park has only one toilet for women and one for men, and they are located a short walk from the ship up the hill in the gazebo. Near the flagpole is the park's only water fountain. (Two rocket launchers off of LSMR 402 are also located at the flagpole). If the weather is hot, you might want to bring some bottled water. There is a Coca-Cola vending machine next to the gazebo.
You veterans may remember that the passageways and ladders are narrow, so we ask that you not loiter too long in these areas - swap your sea stories either out on the well deck, or in some other open area, so that others can pass by. You may also find that the ladders are a bit steeper than you remember, so you will find it easier - and safer - to face the ladder and go down backwards. Also, you may remember that the sun hitting the sides of the ship acts like an oven and, without air-conditioning, will get quite stuffy on the main deck. It will be a bit cooler in the engine room or berthing compartments where you will be below the river level.
Those of you planning to be in town a few days early to help with last-minute work can plan on dusting table tops, hanging the commemorative plaques, answering park visitor questions about the ship, or cataloging and arranging last-minute donations for display.If you plan to donate items in September, please include your name,address, ship number and, if you wish, a brief story about each item, so that they can be identified and catalogued properly. We need your help in doing this as these items will not be dealt with until after the convention.
Have a safe trip.
Jack and Judy

To all hands:
We are happy to announce that Ken Roberts (LSM 186) has located a radar console and scope which we plan to purchase. It is still in "semi-working" order and the cost of purchase, and shipping comes to $800. It's a bit steep, but we feel that it will make a worthwhile addition to the wheel house. With any luck we will have it aboard by Sept. 6th. What we are asking for now is anyone who wishes to donate towards the purchase of this radar unit (we are not arm twisting or pleading) and would like to have their name on the plaque to be mounted on it, may do so. If you are interested, please make your check out to A.S.M. and mail it to:

Ahoy from Omaha;
Jack and I wish to thank everyone who contributed to the purchase of the radar unit. We have received checks for over $900.00 which will pay for purchase, shipping and plaque. Everyone who contributed will have their name on the plaque. The unit was shipped from Connecticut on Wednesday and we expect it to arrive in Omaha by Wednesday of this coming week. It will be placed in the wheel house, but a stand for it will have to be fabricated. So, while it may not be totally in place, it will be aboard for the reunion. Thanks to all of you.
Jack and Judy

September 28, 2000
Hello from Tampa;
Even though Jack and I have moved into our new home, news of the '45 still needs to be spread. I have given my e-mail address book to Rich Richardson who will be caretaking the ship now that we are gone. He will be sending out periodic updates to you as often as necessary.
Right now, there is one piece of news which you might be interested in:During the reunion in Omaha, many positive remarks were heard about the newly hung Memorial Plaque (money given in memory of a deceased LSMer).The idea was formulated by Ted Taylor that this method of honoring our departed shipmates could be useful for many years. With that in mind,Amphibious Ships Museum (ASM) has decided to put up a new plaque each year (or on a periodic basis). These could, perhaps, be hung at a Military type memorial service.
Keep this in mind. For further information, write to Jerry Swift, Treasurer of ASM.:

October 8, 2000
All hands,
We had a wonderful national convention in Omaha this year. I thought it was nice to see all the veterans, their families and friends come to the ship at Freedom Park. Many memories came back to so many. Family and friends were able to see first hand how life on such a ship could be and have a better understanding what the veterans did on their ships. Now the stories heard for so many years are again coming to life! I saw many bleary eyes by so many as you boarded the ship. This meant so much to you...and I enjoyed being on the quarter deck watch, greeting as many of you as I could.
We can certainly thank a lot of people for making it possible to have this ship here to carry on the tradition of the "Amphibious Forces" memories and what they did for our country. Thank you all for what ever involvement you were in helping this dream come true. A "Job well done!".

The Amphibious Ships Museum (ASM) with the approval of the National LSM-LSMR Association (NLSMA) has appointed me as the "Recourse Supervisor". I will try to maintain the ship in good order. During the winter months, the park will be closed. I shall do at least two monthly inspections during that time, or more if needed. I'll do some ship's work as weather permits. I do live about 110 miles from Omaha, in Norfolk, Nebraska...not to be confused with Virginia.

Donated artifacts are always welcome. Jerry Swift and I are still collecting many donated items. Jerry does the inventory and I find a home on the ship for artifacts. If you have any questions, please contact either of us. If your questions are directed toward ship's work, contact me. For cash donations, contact Jerry.

EXTENDED VISITING HOURS FOR LSM 45 For those shipmates who will have private vehicles at the reunion this Sept., the LSM will be open for extended hours. This way you can avoid the crowds, or go on other tours. The USS HAZARD, and the submarine will only be open during normal park hours of 9-6. LSM hours will be as follows: Monday and Tuesday before the convention: 8 - 6 Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: 7 - 7 Saturday: 7 - 6
....................Jack and Judy

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