Photo by Derek Redd The USS LST 325 is docked in Heritage Port until Sept. 10.

WHEELING — As visitors walked into the USS LST 325, docked in Wheeling’s Heritage Port until Tuesday, they stepped through a portal into history. The landing ship tank provided those who boarded on Thursday a three-dimensional look at what life was like on such a ship during World War II.

The USS LST 325 — the last fully operational landing ship tank — participated in several battles, including the Invasion of Normandy. Visitors were able to view every aspect of the ship during the self-guided tour, and volunteers could be found throughout the vessel to offer even more history of the ship.

Bruce Kolopajlo and wife Diane Kolopajlo made the trip from Zanesville to take a tour of the ship.

Bruce Kolopajlo’s father served in World War II in engineering, and the younger Kolopajlo wanted to feel that connection to his dad.

“He told the story of how he waited three days in England on the high seas after they had already landed, and people were throwing up and things were miserable,” he said. “He couldn’t wait to get out there and then he talked about how he worked his way through France, setting up communications and all that.

“So, for me, it’s attaching what are probably the memories my dad had from the war,” he added.

Visitors were able to walk through the ship’s tank deck, where 20 Sherman tanks could be housed, up to the engine room, the main deck and the upper deck. They could sit in one of the single 40mm Bofor guns and swivel themselves around, and walk through the troop berthing areas and see the cots where the sailors slept. There were displays throughout that offered a deeper education into what those sailors dealt with.

“You still can’t imagine what they felt and went through,” Diane Kolopajlo said.

Maria McKelvey grew up in Philadelphia and remembers when her father would take her and her siblings down to the Navy yard there to see the ships. When she learned that the USS LST 325 would drop anchor in Wheeling, she couldn’t pass up the chance to visit.

“You have to go see this when the opportunity presents itself,” she said. “And I hope more families come and bring their kids. My favorite phrase all day was when (cruise director Ken Rupp) said this (ship) was like the Swiss Army knife of the Navy.”

The ship will be open for visitors each day through Tuesday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tickets are available at the ship — $15 for adults, $7 for children ages 6-17 and free for children ages 5 and under — and cash or credit card can be used.