Study to Consider Moving Evansville Landmark
The Evansville Port Authority has approved a study to determine the feasibility of moving a local landmark. The study will investigate the potential relocation of the historic USS LST 325 warship to the current site of the Tropicana riverboat casino, which will soon be vacant.
Construction is underway on Tropicana’s new inland location, which is expected to be complete by the end of the year. When that happens, our partners at WTVW-TV report the old riverboat will disappear. Tropicana Evansville has pledged $1 million toward the cost of relocation, if the move is approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The study, which will cost no more than $55,000, will study the river bottom as well as the structural integrity of the current dock, how new ramps will be built and where the anchors will sit, according to WTVW. The ship currently serves as a floating museum to its history and Chris Donahue, a member of the LST board, tells the station moving the ship one mile down the river will give it an economic boost.
"Economically, if we’re to survive, it’s really important," says Donahue. "We’ve got an excellent dock where we’re at but there’s no people there."
The Engineering Services Agreement approved Monday by the Evansville Port Authority says the study should be complete by May. The LST 325 launched in 1942 and was involved in many missions, including landing in Normandy on June 7, 1944. The ship was decommissioned in 1999.