M7bayonet Posted April 3, 2014 Share #1 Posted April 3, 2014 The USS Olympia will stay in Philadelphia it was announced today. They must raise 7 million in the next 5 years for the much needed repairs to the hull of this historic ship. If you have never seen her in person it is definately a ship to visit. The comparison between the USS Olympia and the USS New Jersey right across the Delaware River is amazing. If in the area stop by and take a tour of these magnificent historic ships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamski Posted April 3, 2014 Share #2 Posted April 3, 2014 That is big news!! So the Mare Island group failed in their bid then. I really need to get my arse up there and tour the ship. I have hit the New Jersey a couple times and neglected the Olympia. Shame on me. -Ski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M7bayonet Posted April 3, 2014 Author Share #3 Posted April 3, 2014 Ski.....they said they had two groups that had submitted plans for the USS Olympia but neither one was viable so both were rejected. It would have been a real shame to see her leave the Philly Port after all these years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pzjgr Posted May 13, 2014 Share #4 Posted May 13, 2014 She's a beauty, and well worth going to see, and save. She sure is WAY different than the WWII and newer ships...lots of wood, interesting architecture.... I hope they can save her, I will go online and fine where to donate.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willysmb44 Posted May 14, 2014 Share #5 Posted May 14, 2014 Geez, it sounds like the ship is right back where it was before there was a question on moving her... Nothing's changed, they still need to raise a literal boatload of cash to keep her afloat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teufelhunde.ret Posted May 14, 2014 Share #6 Posted May 14, 2014 Geez, it sounds like the ship is right back where it was before there was a question on moving her... Nothing's changed, they still need to raise a literal boatload of cash to keep her afloat! They need more monies right now than they raised in the last ten years according to the reports I've read. I think their decision to keep it there is faulted with misguided good intentions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_rambow Posted May 14, 2014 Share #7 Posted May 14, 2014 The museum was more than ready to send her elsewhere but no one was able to, A, come up with the money to fix and physically move her and, B, show that they had the means to keep her maintained once she got there. There was no way in hell anyone was about to let someone tow Olympia to California; it would have had to be lifted and carried (which is very expensive). One of the problems that the other two locations had was securing a venue or getting the rights to build a venue for a proper museum to go with the ship. In short, the other locations had all of the fundraising problems of Philadelphia with a significantly higher initial investment/overhead. Thus, here she stays. On a lighter note, here is a nice, fairly current article on the matter: http://planphilly.com/articles/2014/05/13/olympia-looks-to-local-community-and-national-support-to-keep-her-afloat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamski Posted May 16, 2014 Share #8 Posted May 16, 2014 Yeah, if they could get Philadelphia to take the project over, the ship's listing on the National Register would have more clout than what it does now. You are more able to tie in federal funds for preservation if a federally supported state agency takes over the ship. The Pennsylvania state parks system would be ideal. The ship needs to find a permanent drydock ala HMS Victory where the ship is out of the corrosive effects of the water and visitors can view the entire hull. -Ski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wharfmaster Posted May 16, 2014 Share #9 Posted May 16, 2014 Yeah, if they could get Philadelphia to take the project over, the ship's listing on the National Register would have more clout than what it does now. You are more able to tie in federal funds for preservation if a federally supported state agency takes over the ship. The Pennsylvania state parks system would be ideal. The ship needs to find a permanent drydock ala HMS Victory where the ship is out of the corrosive effects of the water and visitors can view the entire hull. -Ski Exactly, get it out of the water. W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_rambow Posted May 16, 2014 Share #10 Posted May 16, 2014 Exactly, get it out of the water. W While that would be Ideal, it makes the museum end of the problem more difficult. We happen to have a very nice dry dock in the local area that would fit her perfectly, but it is not remotely close to being a good place for her to get the attention she needs on a permanent basis. People don't know she is there when she is a few blocks from Old City (and every tourist that comes to see Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, etc). There is an even smaller chance that the average person would go to see her in the Philadelphia Navy Yard if they didn't know where to look. You can't keep a museum monetarily afloat if no one comes to visit! We will see what happens. If the museum gets a huge chunk of money to maintain her long-term out of the water, no one will have to worry about attendance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamski Posted May 29, 2014 Share #11 Posted May 29, 2014 While that would be Ideal, it makes the museum end of the problem more difficult. We happen to have a very nice dry dock in the local area that would fit her perfectly, but it is not remotely close to being a good place for her to get the attention she needs on a permanent basis. People don't know she is there when she is a few blocks from Old City (and every tourist that comes to see Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, etc). There is an even smaller chance that the average person would go to see her in the Philadelphia Navy Yard if they didn't know where to look. You can't keep a museum monetarily afloat if no one comes to visit! We will see what happens. If the museum gets a huge chunk of money to maintain her long-term out of the water, no one will have to worry about attendance. I think the ship's only chance at the future is getting the National Park Service to take ownership of it and get the funds allocated to restore the hull. The private sector isn't capable of getting this level of support for a National Landmark. Once you get a federal agency involved, preservation becomes mandatory. I finally got to visit the ship this last weekend along with a visit to Fort Mifflin and I was stunned at how beautiful the ship is in person. My wife thought it was going to be a steel hulk, but fell in love with the extensive original woodwork in the wardrooms and Dewey's compartment and agreed that the ship is far more important to save than what she originally thought. The USS Olympia is simply a treasure that has to be saved. It represents an important era, not just militarily or politically but also culturally. Just beautiful! If you are ever in the area, you MUST visit this ship! Fort Mifflin is an example of how history can be forgotten. It's buildings and landscape are run down. It is sad to see history ignored and left dilapidated. While the fort itself is in decent shape, most of the buildings are in dire need of new roofs and several are bird havens complete with dropping all over the place. More must be done. As a Historical Preservation masters student, I am definitely seeing where we are lacking in the area of preservation. I wish there was something more that could be done to get the funds to save historically critical properties from extinction. Taking history out of the schools is the first step to oblivion...... -Ski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreasureHunter Posted September 13, 2014 Share #12 Posted September 13, 2014 In 1990, I was at Naval Base Philadelphia for my first school command fresh from boot camp and we were volun-told to be side boys on the Olympia for a change of command, I think it was the commanding officer of our school change of command. Very good memories of that ship and the others around, think there was a submarine there too. Hope she is saved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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