At right, Deana Clark, executive director of Visit Marietta, facilitates a welcome ceremony of the USS LST-325 where Capt. Rob Kubota, center, presents the key to the bow of the vessel to Marietta Mayor Josh Schlicher. (Photo by Gwen Sour)

MARIETTA — A ceremony was held Thursday morning to welcome the USS LST-325 to Marietta.

The World War II landing ship that now serves as a floating memorial, dropped anchor at the Ohio River Levee on Wednesday. It will be in Marietta through Sunday and is open for tours from from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults and $7.50 for youth ages 6-17. Children 5 and under receive free admission.

The welcome ceremony celebrated the history of vessel, which originally launched on Oct. 27, 1942. The ship traveled all around the globe, including New York, Algeria, Sicily, Libya and England. The current crew hails from 35 different states, and members range in age from 21 to 78, according to Capt. Rob Kubota.

Kubota shared his appreciation for the warm welcome to Marietta.

“I’d like to say thank you to all the people who worked and those of you who just came down to visit us, thank you all very much for supporting us,” he said. “This is our second visit back here. We came several years ago, and I was a normal visitor, and it intrigued me so much that I am now the captain on this. I hope you find it just as interesting as I did.”

The USS LST-325 is a World War II landing ship that serves as a memorial to all those who served in the war. The ship is docked on the Marietta Ohio River levee through Sunday, and tours are being offered. (Photo by Gwen Sour)

Kubota said the crew is proud of the ship and the history surrounding it and they hope visitors enjoy the experience of touring the LST-325.

Marietta Mayor Josh Schlicher welcomed the crew and encouraged the citizens of Marietta to enjoy the tour opportunity.

“We were down here yesterday when they came in,” Schlicher said. “It was quite a sight to see them clear the bridge and anchor here on the levy.”

Kubota presented Schlicher with a key to the LST-325’s bow door.

For more information on the history of the U.S.S. LST-325 and event information, check out www.lstmemorial.org.