After the completion of a successful test run, a broom was raised on the mast of an LST to signify a "clean sweep".

Roman Ritzert, chief hull inspector at the Evansville Shipyard, and DeForest Ary aboard the LST 553, raised this ceremonial broom. Ary was a Navy veteran who was badly burned during the attack on Pearl Harbor and later worked at the Shipyard.

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