Our last stop on our RV trip was LST 325 in Evansville, Indiana, where I picked up this book by its captain on its return voyage in 2000-2001. The story is an incredible one. A crew of retired LST sailors, average age 72, got the ship back in working condition and talked their way into bringing back over 6,000 miles across the Mediterranean and Atlantic to the United States - so we'd have an example of a World War II LST.
The ship was an incredible experience to visit, but the artifact pales compared to what these men did to bring her home. Jornlin was a retired commander from the 1960's, but his experience on the vessels and in feed sales gave him both the technical and the personal skills to successfully negotiate the challenges of getting the ship restored and the necessary permissions to bring her home.
I highly, highly recommend this book.