USS LST 1097 Association Records, 1944-2000
Held by The Filson Historical Society
Creator: USS LST 1097 Association
Title: Records, 1944-2000 (bulk 1992-2000)
Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these papers, contact the Curator of Special Collections.
Size of Collection: 6 cubic feet
Location Number: Mss. BC U58
Scope and Content Note
The LST 1097 Association collection includes correspondences, newsletters, photographs, ship logs, reunion memorabilia, articles and newspaper clippings, and biographical information on crew members. The USS LST 1097 was a ship designed to support amphibious operations during. LST-1097 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater where it participated in the Okinawa Gunto operation between May and June 1945. Frank R. Fultz initiated the reunions in October 1992.
Historical Note
The tank landing ship (LST, for “Landing Ship, Tank”) was created during World War II to support amphibious operations by carrying significant quantities of vehicles, cargo, and landing troops directly onto an unimproved shore. More than a thousand of these ships were laid down in the United States during WWII. Eighty were built in UK and Canada to a modified design and known as LST. From their combat debut in the Solomon Islands in June 1943 until the end of the hostilities in August 1945, the LSTs performed a vital service in World War II. They participated in the invasions of Sicily, Italy, Normandy, and southern France in the European Theater and were an essential element in the island-hopping campaigns in the Pacific.
On 22 November 1944, the USS LST 1097 was laid down at Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co., Jeffersonville, IN. It was launched on 16 January 1945 and Commissioned USS LST-1097 on 9 February 1945. During World War II LST-1097 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater where it participated in the Okinawa Gunto operation between May and June 1945.
In 1991, Frank R. Fultz, reunion founder and organizer, began searching for shipmates of the USS LST 1097. As a result, the crew held its first reunion in October 1992. In an effort to reacquaint members of the crew with one another, a suggestion was made to send out questionnaires to crew members before the reunion. The questionnaires included questions about their lives after serving in the military. They were compiled in a binder, which became known as the “The Book,” by all the members of the crew. The collection of binders donated to the Filson is an extension of the original book, known as the “E-Book.” There have been photos and special biographical information added by individual shipmates for his section of the “E-Book.” Each individual’s section is as complete as the individual shipmate’s desire.
Folder List
Folder 1: Echoes of the 1097, 1998-2004, Correspondence.
Folder 2: Reunion, 1944-1999
Folder 3: Reunion, 1992-1998.
Folder 4: Reunion, 1993-1999.
Folder 5: Echoes of the 1097, 1992-1994.
Folder 6: Echoes of the 1097, 1998-2000.
Folder 7: Crew A-BU
Folder 8: Crew BU-C
Folder 9: Crew D-E
Folder 10: Crew F 5
Folder 11: Crew Fu Fultz
Folder 12: Crew Fu Fultz
Folder 13: Crew G
Folder 14: Crew H-HE
Folder 15: Crew HI-HR
Folder 16: Crew I-M
Folder 17: Crew ME-N
Folder 18: Crew O-P
Folder 19: Crew R-T
Folder 20: Crew VE Veasey
Folder 21: Crew VE Veasey World War II letters
Folder 22: Crew VE-WI Veasey
Folder 23: Crew WR-Z
Folder 24: Log Notebook (Black), 9 Feb. 1945-1 Dec. 1945.
Folder 25: Log Notebook (Blue), 1 Jan. 1946-19 Dec. 1946.
Subject Headings
Jefferson Boat and Machine Co.
Shipbuilding — Indiana
University of Louisville
USS LST 1097 Association
World War, 1939-1945 — Naval operations, American
World War, 1939-1945 — Pacific Area
World War, 1939-1945 — Veterans
Additional Authors
Bush, George, 1924-
Fultz, Frank R., 1922-2002.
Veasey, Decius B., 1925-2006.
