Normandy Lander On Ohio River

[Burg_Grad_77]

On Monday on this week, the 23rd, I was hunting for arrowheads on the banks of the Ohio River when I noticed this large ship coming up river. I could see it was pretty big and something you just don't see on the Ohio very often so as it got closer and passed I snapped a few pictures. I new it was military because of the gun towers on the front and back. There were 3 on the front and 2 on the back, but I didn't realize that a piece of American history had just went past until I read the paper today and there was a story about it. Evidently this ship was used on D-Day and landed on Utah Beach. It was an awesome experience to see a piece of Americana that helped to preserve our freedoms we enjoy today.

Here's a link to a story and the pictures I took.

http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?f ... ryid=84988

[BubbleGumTiger]

Nice pics BG77 and nice story........

sure would be nice if it could dock in the local area before heading home............guess I will have to drive to Marietta to take a tour.........

[rockyraccoon]

I heard that Kentucky had sent their navy up the river to get their "Indian Head Rock" back.

[biggdowgg]

I wished they would let people know ahead of time when things like this happen,instead of putting in the paper a day after...I would have loved to seen this.

[Burg_Grad_77]

I wished they would let people know ahead of time when things like this happen,instead of putting in the paper a day after...I would have loved to seen this.

I agree. If I hadn't been there to look for artifacts I would never seen it either. I just got lucky.

[BubbleGumTiger]

Outstanding! I love these type stories. Middle America rarely gets a glimpse of our Naval fire power. It's even more impressive when you have a piece of history floating in our waterways.

Just think, had you joined the Navy back in the day, you could have docked that boat in Portsmouth and brought all your buddies to
BDUBS for a wing or 2 and a nice cold draft........and then you could have given the OBDTF a tour of your ship.......

sure is nice to dream........

[WhiteWhiskers]

I lost an uncle on Utah Beach in the battle of Normandy RIP unc

[caglewis]

I wished they would let people know ahead of time when things like this happen,instead of putting in the paper a day after...I would have loved to seen this.

I was watching the noon news on WLWT and they said that this boat had passed by Cincinnati after 11 PM the night before. I switched to WSAZ just in time to hear them say that the boat had passed by Portsmouth just before they went on air. I ran out to my car and drove up to the Center Street landing [only about a mile from my house] and arrived just in time to see it! I did get a couple of pictures, but not very good ones because I didn't have enough time before it was out of sight.
It was really booking along even though running upstream. It went by Ironton going right-to-left looking at it from the Ohio side - how did you get those last left-to-right pictures?
There were a few other people there, and I commented to a guy that I thought it was a similar boat to PT109 - and he had never heard of it - the boat JFK served on in the Pacific and there was a movie made about it. Really showing my age there!

[Burg_Grad_77]

When I saw it it was heading up river towards Ironton and it was around noon or a little later.

[rockyraccoon]

I hate to break it to you cagelewis, but those last two pictures are of the back of the boat. It is not going the other direction, but heading up river. If you look close you can see the prop wash in the back.

[caglewis]

I figured that out - I'm just glad I heard it mentioned on the noon news and live close enough to the River to be able to make it there in time to catch a brief glimpse of the boat as it went by Ironton.

[dazed&confused]

I wished they would let people know ahead of time when things like this happen,instead of putting in the paper a day after...I would have loved to seen this.

I was watching the noon news on WLWT and they said that this boat had passed by Cincinnati after 11 PM the night before. I switched to WSAZ just in time to hear them say that the boat had passed by Portsmouth just before they went on air. I ran out to my car and drove up to the Center Street landing [only about a mile from my house] and arrived just in time to see it! I did get a couple of pictures, but not very good ones because I didn't have enough time before it was out of sight.
It was really booking along even though running upstream. It went by Ironton going right-to-left looking at it from the Ohio side - how did you get those last left-to-right pictures?
There were a few other people there, and I commented to a guy that I thought it was a similar boat to PT109 - and he had never heard of it - the boat JFK served on in the Pacific and there was a movie made about it. Really showing my age there!

It's tough to deal with the fact so many people don't know more history of the US, especially military history. But I do have to say this ship is nothing like a PT boat. Those were made of plywood and were very lightweight. They used speed and ease of building thme to offset the Japanese advantage of cruisers and battleships following Pearl Harbor. It was actually a PT boat that helped evacuate McArthur from the Phillipines. It would've been a much smaller boat than this one and resembled a cabin cruiser more than anything. And because it was small and made of plywood, that was what contributed to PT 109 being cut in two by a Japanese destroyer. Still, this ship is an impressive reminder of our efforts to free Europe of tyranny in WWII.

[Burg_Grad_77]

These are models, but it gives you an idea what the PT-109 looked like and it's nothing the ship above.

[caglewis]

OK - my comparison of the two ships/boats was way off - absolutely wrong. But they were both used in World War II - one in the European Theater and one in the Pacific Theater. Sorry for my mistake. But I did indeed make it to the Ironton Center Street Landing in time to see that Normandy Lander Boat go by Ironton on its way upriver. Will it be coming back downriver and go past us again?

[Burg_Grad_77]

According to an article in the Portsmouth Daily Times it will be leaving Marietta on Sept 15th and will pass through Portsmouth on the 16th, so it should go by Ironton the same day. They don't really give a time though, just the day. I really can't see it taking 24 hours to go from Marietta to Portsmouth though, so it may pass us during the night.

[rockyraccoon]

These are models, but it gives you an idea what the PT-109 looked like and it's nothing the ship above.

PT 109?? Where have I heard that before..........Oh yeah, JFK.

[caglewis]

PT 109?? Where have I heard that before..........Oh yeah, JFK

.
Didn't I just say that in my post? Can't you read??? Or are you just ignorant?

There were a few other people there, and I commented to a guy that I thought it was a similar boat to PT109 - and he had never heard of it - the boat JFK served on in the Pacific and there was a movie made about it. Really showing my age there!

But I was corrected - by someone more knowledgeable - that those two boats are not similar at all in construction or design. Both types of boats were used, however, in NAVAL INVASIONS of foreign soil during World War II. My real point was that many people don't know/care about "history" anymore.

[oldtrojan]

It's a ship, it's a boat........they all float...PTs or whatever............They all contributed to bringing down the mighty Japanese Navy...they were powerful and reigned hell over the pacific....Ours weren't the best but we had the best American had to offer to spank those who thought they couldn't be touched...

I LOVE, how in time of crisis ,HOW THE AMERICAN PEOPLE RISE TO THE OCCASSION...IT'S AN AWESOME FEELING!!! DON'T YOU THINK????

HERE, HERE!!! It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the heart in the dog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FIDO.....if we were in Portsmouth I would buy you a drink!

[rockyraccoon]

PT 109?? Where have I heard that before..........Oh yeah, JFK

.
Didn't I just say that in my post? Can't you read??? Or are you just ignorant?

There were a few other people there, and I commented to a guy that I thought it was a similar boat to PT109 - and he had never heard of it - the boat JFK served on in the Pacific and there was a movie made about it. Really showing my age there!

But I was corrected - by someone more knowledgeable - that those two boats are not similar at all in construction or design. Both types of boats were used, however, in NAVAL INVASIONS of foreign soil during World War II. My real point was that many people don't know/care about "history" anymore.

cag, to be honest with you, after your first couple of misinformed post I didn't bother to read to the end of the one you mentioned JFK. So if you want to call someone ingnorant to make yourself feel better, be my guest. Coming from a guy who couldn't figure out the pictures of the boat going the opposite direction was actually just the back of the boat, it doesn't really bother me much.

[biggdowgg]

It's a ship, it's a boat........they all float...PTs or whatever............They all contributed to bringing down the mighty Japanese Navy...they were powerful and reigned hell over the pacific....Ours weren't the best but we had the best American had to offer to spank those who thought they couldn't be touched...

I LOVE, how in time of crisis ,HOW THE AMERICAN PEOPLE RISE TO THE OCCASSION...IT'S AN AWESOME FEELING!!! DON'T YOU THINK????

HERE, HERE!!! It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the heart in the dog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FIDO.....if we were in Portsmouth I would buy you a drink!

FIDO, will be in the last 3 weeks of football season, so if your schedule has you coming in around that time, he would gladly accept the offer...if not,I will accept it for him when you are in

and off subject...how bout them red legs?? :122246