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Ohio Farm Bureau member Kenny Adams knows first-hand what it was like for his father to live on a LST (Landing Ship Tank) during World War II. Adams is one of 40 crew members who have been sailing on the USS LST 325, a floating museum docked in Evansville, Ind.

Built in 1942, the LST is an amphibious vessel designed to land battle-ready tanks, troops and supplies directly onto enemy shores. Of 1,051 LST ships made, the LST 325 is the only one remaining that still sails. And it uses a biodiesel blend to get around today.

Adams, of Covington, Ohio, and his 25-year-old son, Garth, are among the more than 200 volunteers who help keep the vessel ship-shape for tours. Several of the volunteers are Farm Bureau members from Ohio and other states. Adams, who grew up on a dairy farm, said it’s not surprising that so many volunteers are farmers.

"During the war, LSTs were mostly staffed by farm boys," he said. "The LST was flat bottomed and real rough. They had farm boys from Illinois, Texas, Ohio – all over the Midwest -- on the ship. They were boys who didn’t know better, that the ships were so rough."

Two of the ship’s amtrac boats, used to haul troops onto the Normandy beach, were used in the current Clint Eastwood movie, "Flags of Our Fathers." Adams and three other LST 325 volunteers spent five weeks in Iceland during filming, and Adams drove one of the amtrac boats for the movie.

Last year the ship, which carried a crew of 118 men and could transport 500 troops in its heyday, traveled to Boston. In order to make the trip, the USS LST Ship Memorial, Inc. had to borrow $68,000 to buy 10,000 gallons of diesel. Because so many of the volunteers are Farm Bureau members, they liked the idea of trying to use a biodiesel blend. Peter Cremer North America donated 275 gallons of raw biodiesel for the trip.

The 40-member crew had shifts of working four hours and resting eight hours. Adams said he "had a ball" on the trip, working and sleeping like his father did years ago on the LST. There’s just 2½ feet between the bunks, which consist of canvas stretched between iron bars and tied down with roping.

"The best part was being on the ship," Adams said. "It was a lot of dirty work but as a farmer, I’m used to that after working on combines."

The trip was a success, attracting tens of thousands of visitors who paid to visit the ship in Alexandria, Va., Boston and other East Coast ports of call. The non-profit organization easily repaid the loan for the fuel.

During last year’s trip and a visit to the Tall Stacks celebration in Cincinnati this year, ship volunteers were able to promote the use of biofuels.

"Most people didn’t even know what biodiesel is," said Adams, who uses a 20 percent biodiesel blend to run his equipment at his corn and soybean farm. "They thought it was neat that a ship that was so old could run on biodiesel."

Plans are already in place for a trip next year up the Illinois River to the small tourist town of Henry. Adams said the ship uses 1,200 gallons of fuel per day – 1 gallon for every 750 feet of travel. Once again, the LST organization hopes to get a donation of biodiesel so it can promote the alternative fuel.

For more information about the USS LST 325, see OFBF’s Web site, www.ofbf.org, and click on featured links.

Caption: The USS LST 325 sailed during World War II. Photos courtesy of Kenny Adams.