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Alton, Illinois, Again!

Alton, Illinois, Again!

         Yesterday we took the camper van for a drive to Alton Illinois.  We considered driving the 'other' van, the one I've had for almost 6 years now, but we bought this van for long(er) road trips.  Two and a half hours to get there was long enough in my mind.  The camper van does have a much nicer, smoother ride to it than the Transit Connect does.  When we arrived back home, we weren't achy and sore like we would be if we took the Transit Connect.

         We decided to go to Alton for one reason.  A WW II LST (Landing Ship Tank) would be open for visitors.  An LST is a World War II American-built Landing Ship Tanks.  LST's were generally 328 feet (100 m) long with a 50-foot (15 m) beam. They could carry a load of approximately 2,100 tons and were designed to carry tanks and other vehicles directly onto a beach. Key dimensions varied by load and operating conditions, including different drafts for light, sea-going, and landing configurations.

         An LST has an odd looking bow.  The bow (front of the ship) had a large door that opened to either side.  The ship had a very shallow draft.  Draft (Depth of hull below waterline) was: Light (Unloaded): ~2' 4" forward, ~7' 6" aft, Sea-going (Loaded): ~8' 3" forward, ~14' 1" aft & Landing (with 500-ton load): ~3' 11" forward, ~9' 10" aft.  One can see that this shallow draft is what allowed the LST to pull all the way in to a beach-head, open the bow doors so Tanks, other Motorized Vehicles, as well as men, could debark.  Obviously it wasn't a completely dry 'drop off', but at least it was shallow water.

         Another thing about the LST dimensions, was that it has a flat bottom.  The flat bottom was necessary to allow Tanks and other Mechanized Vehicles to be driven in from the bow.  But, this meant it rolled heavily in even light seas.  Imagine being in a storm!

         We got there about 2 pm, and I immediately decided I wasn't going on the tour.  (About 20 minutes before we arrived, my wife told me she wasn't going on the tour.  She does not like crossing a brow, even one as low as the LST's would be)    Why?  I mean we drove all that way only to not go on the tour?  Yeah, you should have seen the line!  It was longer than the ship, and being a guided tour, you didn't have much of a chance, if any, to just wander around.  That's what I wanted to do.  And the line didn't move very fast either.

         I snapped a few photos, walked around a little, then got back in the van and headed home.  Along the way we stopped for lunch.  It was a good day, it just didn't turn out the way I thought it would.