The U.S. Coast Guard says that the LST 325 was ungrounded about 6:20 PM Wednesday.
It ran aground Monday night in the Cumberland River on its way back to Evansville, IN, which has been its home port since it was restored by military veterans in 2001.
Coast Guard Lt. Dan McQuate says once the vessel's crew completed some propulsion and steering tests, it would probably come to Paducah and refuel before continuing its journey home.
According to McQuate, the ship traveled outside the channel and got stuck about nine miles above Lake Barkley Lock and Dam Monday. The owners of the ship called in a salvage expert, who helped them determine the best method to free the ship. He said as a general rule, the bottom of Lake Barkley is mud, not rock, which made the situation a little better.
The LST-325 was designed and built to be run aground. It carried soldiers and vehicles to Omaha Beach during the June 6, 1944, Allied invasion at Normandy in northwestern France.
