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End of the USS Olympia C-6?


Okie96
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I don't know if anyone has posted about this already or how well known it is, but I just read today that the Olympia could wind up as a reef or even scrap!The independence seaport museum in Philidalphia Pennsylvania, which currently posses the Olympia, apparently wants to get rid of the ship and if a new owner can't be found in the next few years she could become a reef off Cape May New Jersy or another option that I've read that has been mentioned is scrap. Apparently the rise and fall of the tide and being in the silt of the Delaware river is slowly damaging the hull. One sight said the hull is only about an eighth of an inch thick in some places! The museum is apparently going to keep up nessarry maintanince on the ship until a new owner can be found.

To get the ship out of its current location the river around the ship would have to be dredged and it is suppose to take at least $10 million to get the ship stabalized and to get it as good as it was in the 50s. It could take another $10 million to get the ship fully repaired. There are multiple organizations trying to arrange, and raise the money, to be able to purchase the ship. One of them has come up with the idea of purchasing the ship and drydocking her at the Parris island dry dock, also from the Spanish-American war era, but the dry dock would also need to be overhauled. The Olympia itself hasn't been dry docked in about 55 years. Apparently though the museum has already been authorized to be able to follow through in making the ship a reef. The Navy has also told the museum that this would be a way to get the ship out of the museums hands.

The Olympia is the countries third oldest ship, behind Constitution and Constilation, and the countries oldest steel hulled ship afloat. Olympia was Admiral Dewey's flagship during the battle of Manila bay and fought in other Span-American war engagements, as well as seeing action in WW1. Olympia's final action as a Navy ship was to bring home the remains of the unknown soldier in 1921. To scrap the ship would be a crime but if the museum can get rid of Olympia it will.

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Thanks for posting those threads to this one Dave. They were interesting to see. It's a shame what some people even consider. I saw on one of those threads someone said a teacher told him that it had been brought up several times that history over 40 years old should be cramed into only a week or not taught at all! I don't even know how to respond to that. :wacko: By the way, and I know it's totally off topic, but among the chickens at our house we've got a rooster named Dave. A little nut and a smart alecks' what he is. ^_^

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ww2relichunter

damn okie it would be a damn shame to see this true piece of american history sank or scrapped im sure some group or organizantion could be found to buy this ship and preserve it !

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There's several groups vying for it but with all the costs it will take alot of effort. In one of the previous threads someone sugested that the Olympia could be put in a dry dock for display for even better preservation. That sounds like a pretty good idea to me. Like I said before, I read on one sight that there was a group, can't remember their name, who had the idea of maybe putting the olympia in the Pairis island dry dock, but again, that too is from the same era as the Olympia and would need a great deal of work before it could be used. If the ship could be put in it though it would be a nice match as this drydock and the supply stations there were also a big part of the Spanish-American war.

The dry dock idea being put to use anywhere though would lower maitenence costs in the long run though I think as the ship would be able to be out of the water, right? I agree with what others have said about the goverment helping. If their going to spend a buch of money on something, at least put it towards a worthy cause. And the ships condition should be kept original. Except for maybe the inclusion of an air conditioning unit on the dock with some duct work that doesn't do to much to the ships appearence. It wouldn't be very attractive to people in the summer during a hot spell, outside, or especially inside! Apperantly the ships condition has been a noted issue since about 2010 but I just discovered this today. To many historic ships have already been scuttled, scrapped or lost in some other way. This one should be allowed to stay. It is a national treasure and symbol and needs to be preserved.

As a reef it would be lost to all but a few and eventually it would go the way of the Titanic. On its way to being no more than a rust spot on the ocean floor. It would remain for a time, yes but it would be an extremly poor existence and should be avoided at all costs. What I'm going to do is write Fox news a letter saying to give a resonable length report on the matter on their broadcast and the increasing importance of it as time goes on. It may very well go unnoticed but at least it will be something. If someone wins the lottery this would definantly be a good cause to donate to. Perhaps if more people heard, more could be done. I'm sure there's plenty of people who would care and try to help but have no idea what's happening to the ship. Maybe if all the groups supporting the ship came together, and new efforts were made the ships safty could be definantly ensured and a new home found for this symbol of America and what a great nation it was and is.

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ww2relichunter

i agree ships like this are part of are national heritage and writing a letter was a wonderful idea i believe if maybe a fund was start called save the Olympia where people could donate and it was made into a museum and restored to its original condition this would be ideal but you almost need somebody who is willing to spend million mabye a wealthy person who would like to run the museum himself and have the ship restored more over time with donations after the step of moving it is completed. i imagine it would be a beauty all restored inside and out with original items inside and made it to where you could walk around the whole ship and see how the men lived and mabye even have it do weekly trips if it was completely made sea worthy again just my idea

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A restoration over time would be good and it would be great if someone were to do what you suggested Relichunter. Though a restoration over time would be good, there are fairly immediate needs for the deteriorating hull. Rust and corrosin have taken their toll and it seems that some time in dry dock for this sort of work is needed if not for its home. It would be an awesome sight if the Olympia were to eventually restored to seaworthy condition. The ship is already a truly beutiful sight in and out, but what it would look like with a total restoration! :)

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ww2relichunter

Yeah That would be great now finding a multi millionaire too finance the project !! and would for sure go for a ride on that boat if it was restored im sure it would be a cool to show future generations history from ww1 and the span am war and have it filled with orginial gear and soldiers in full uniform a militaria collectors dream boat!

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daniel griffin

As of March 6 2013,

From the Daily Republic, Fairfield Ca.

 

The Mare Island Historic Park Foundation announced its interest and is now working with the National Historic Trust for Preservation, the National Maritime Historical Society, the Historic Ships Foundation and the Council of American Maritime Museums.

Mare Island’s tie to the Olympia is that the ship was built at the Union Iron Works in San Francisco in 1892 and outfitted at Mare Island before it got orders to join the Asiatic Fleet, which Dewey led into Manila Bay.

The group needs to raise at least $5 million to repair the Olympia, tow it to Mare Island and build the infrastructure needed to maintain and display it.

“The project requires the development of a business plan and we have a committee looking into ways of raising money,” said Ken Zadwick, president and founder of the foundation.

The foundation submitted its expression of intent in August. It was accepted by the Independence Seaport Museum.

The initial part of the challenge is to get the Olympia’s hull repaired enough to make it seaworthy, so it can be towed to Mare Island. The National Trust agreed to raise the money, according to Zadwick.

“It is hard to say at this point if that kind of money is available from the public,” Zadwick said. “It has to be a national project, so we have a lot of work to do.”

A bill has been introduced in Congress to produce silver dollars commemorating the Olympia. A $10 surcharge attached to the cost of the coin would go to preservation efforts of the cruiser.

The foundation’s proposed business plans is expected to be ready by late spring for examination by the foundation’s members. There are also hopes that the Navy may have some surplus funds to help.

This is not the first time the foundation has tried to acquire a major vessel for the Mare Island Museum. Ten years were spent trying to get the nuclear submarine USS Vallejo, but that came to naught when the Navy indicated the foundation needed to raise $10 million.

Getting the Olympia would be a great piece of publicity for the museum and would be a tourism boost to Vallejo, according to Zadwick.

“Now we are working on putting together the next phase, which is due in May,” Kelly said. “It is basically more detail on how we will display the ship and an economic feasibility study of such a ship display at Mare Island.”

Having Dry Dock No. 1 available is a definite benefit to the foundation’s efforts to get the Olympia and the Navy has been supportive, foundation officials said, unlike the last time when that service was unsure it wanted to release a nuclear sub to a museum.

“The big challenge is money, period,” Kelly said.

It will not only cost money to repair and move the Olympia, but also to prepare the dry dock and dredge the area around the dry dock to allow the caisson to open.

“We are fundraising right now,” Kelly said. “It’s a lot of money and this is not the best of times, but note that Google showed up as the white knight to save the Moffett Field hangar.”

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P-40Warhawk

Thanks for the update.

 

Hopefully that works out.

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The problem they'll have raising money for the OLYMPIA from the local area is that they are competing with the fundraising efforts of the Doolittle Air and Space Museum that's about 30 minutes away. They are trying to raise funds to move the museum into a public location, off the Air Force base. The other problem is getting support from the people of Vallejo...I'm not saying they can't, but there's a large population of people in the area who aren't pro-military and would rather see the former naval station turned into housing rather than industrial or military-museum related.

 

With that said, I sincerely hope it works out and they can get the OLYMPIA here. I would be all over volunteering to help restore her. How cool would that be???

 

Dave

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That's great news Daniel! And I'm sure it would be fun to work on the ship. So if it went to C.A. It would be displayed in the drydock? Having the ship near where it was constructed would be an excellent place for it. The silver dollar would be one of these commerative coins I'd actually buy. That is if that bill could get passed. As for the competion for fudraising from the Doolittle museum, not that I don't think that's worth supporting, it definantly is, but simply relocating versus saving from destruction, I think the Olympia is a higher priority.

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  • 1 month later...

 

The Olympia is a real national treasure. Not only because it is a rare naval vessel as a type, but of more importance the role it played (and symbol it represents) in helping to transition the United States to a global military power at the time. After the battle of Manila Bay and the victory in Cuba the US had to not only project military might, but was now responsible for defending the lands that were now under our protection and on the other side of the world.

 

If you are in Philly, it is well worth the time to visit. It does need restoration, but below decks, it speaks to a bygone era.

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Bobgee, make a remark on one of the other Topic links discussing Olympia, in that why doesn't Annapolis take it, I say why the hell dosen't the Navy do something? what they can do nothing? I know they could if they really want to, or could they? budgets? maybe, yeah but I wouldn't count on anything this regime says, after all they can't even keep the Navy's Blue Angels flying. What a bunch of Bull Crap.

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  • 4 months later...

I've read that one of the Navy's recommendations to the museum for getting the Olympia off their hands would be to scuttle her. Don't they care at all for their own history!

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I've read that one of the Navy's recommendations to the museum for getting the Olympia off their hands would be to scuttle her. Don't they care at all for their own history!

What is the USN supposed to do?? The Navy has a hard enough time trying to maintain the current fleet. If the people want to keep the Olympia, then Congress has to get involved.

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