La Crosse may have set record during Navy’s LST-325 weekend stay at Riverside Park

La Crosse’s big riverfront visitor for the past week is now headed down river and may have set an all-time attendance record.

The Navy’s LST-325, a World War II-era “landing ship” used on D-Day, ended a holiday stay at Riverside Park on Labor Day.

The floating museum departed from the riverfront shortly after 7 p.m. Monday. The crew played “On, Wisconsin” and “Proud Mary” over loudspeakers as the ship headed under the blue bridges and down river to Dubuque, Iowa, for its next stop.

Cruise director Ken Rupp said about 18,000 people went aboard the LST, which could be a record turnout for the one-of-a-kind traveling museum. Rupp told WIZM the old record was around 17,000. He was excited after the first day of tours Thursday, seeing around 3,300 tour the ship, setting pace to break that record.

“It’s an absolutely perfect venue,” Rupp said Monday, “and it’s very fitting that we are the first ship to be on the new levee. It’s just been exciting for us. We’ve had a great time. The crew has loved the city of La Crosse. They’re already asking to come back next year.”

The LST routinely goes to different rivers every summer.

The city of La Crosse improved the levee in recent years, so two large ships could dock at the same time.

That happened during the stay of the LST, when the Navy ship was able to share the riverfront in La Crosse on different days with the Viking Mississippi cruise ship or the American Countess paddlewheeler.

Tuesday also marks the one-year anniversary of the Viking cruise ship’s first visit to La Crosse.