The LST That Became a "Highway" LST-393-- Part 2: "Large Slow Targets"

In 1948, it became part of US-Highway 16 when it began ferry new cars and others between Muskegon, Michigan, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The LST-393 was one of 1,051 built with half scrapped after the war.  Just a dozen LSTs now remain.  In case you're wondering, LST stands for Landing Ship Tank.  They were capable of landing tanks, vehicles and troops right on beaches during amphibious actions.

Sailors on them refereed to them as "Large Slow Targets," but others say these "Blue Collar Workhorses" were more important to the final Allied victory than the biggest, most modern battleships.

On March 28, 1948, the Wisconsin-Michigan Steamship Company, a subsidiary of Sand products Corporation of Detroit bought the LST-393 for $150,000.

There was a huge demand for new cars after the war (since none were made during most of it.  The Wisconsin-Michigan ferry Milwaukee Clipper couldn't keep up ferrying the cars across Lake Michigan.

Of interest, the LST-393 had delivered Muskegon-built tanks to Europe.

--GreGen