Of rhese ships, Olymp ia is currenrly in grearesr peril. Independence Seaporr Museum in Philadelphia is seeking an insrirurio n willing and able ro rake rhe ship off of its hands and has pledged a two-year extension for maintaining the ship while transfer applicants raise funds and complere the exrensive applicarion process. The candidate organizations that have expressed a desire ro take over stewardship of the ship are newly created o rganizations, and, however capable their members, they will be lackin g in rrack record and nam e recognirion, while comperin g fo r fundin g from the sam e sources, maki ng rhe case with similar words for similar reasons. Supplementing rhis process with a narional campaign for public awareness and addirional fundin g is being discussed among man y ship preservarion groups just now, with the obj ect of helping preserve the vessel no matter which group ends up with ride, because ultimately Olymp ia belongs ro all of us. ,!, Olympia, Captain Wa fter Ry bka serves as administrator fo r the com bined Erie Maritime November, 2010 Museum and US Brig Niagara's operations, a p roject ofthe Pennsylvania H istorical & Museum Commission, and is Niagara's senior cap tain. H e is an editorial advisor for Sea Hisrory, a member of the American Sail Training Association's advisory board, and p resident ofthe Council ofAmerican Maritime Museums. / Olympia is one of two hisroric ships at Independence Seaporr Museum (ISM ) in Philadelphia, where she has been located as a museum ship since 1957 and operated by IMS since 1996. Las r spring the Museum announced that the hull suffers from extensive corrosion and is in dire need of drydocking and repairs. Facing an estimated bi ll in excess of $ 10 mi llion ro fully resrore her, ISM stated it can on longer afford the long-term commitment ro Olymp ia's preservarion needs and rhar it wishes ro dives t irself of rhe ship wirhin a twoyea r rimefram e. M ore rhan hal f a dozen groups have expressed srrong interest in acquiring rhe vessel, bur the Navy has srricr requirements that must be fullfill ed befo re ir lers an y group rake ownership of a decommissioned naval vessel. The nexr cusrodian will face a grear preservarion need, bur rhe opinio n among professio nal surveyo rs consulted is rhar a relarively m odest investment will buy rime for rhe ship. In March, ISM issued a Transfer Application (TAPP), available o n rhe museum's website at www.phillyseapo rr.o rg. The deadline for a lerrer of intenr and execurive summary application is 1 September 2011 . In rhe meanrime, Olympia remains open ro visiro rs, and rhe museum is commirred maintaining rhe warerrighr intergri ry of rhe hull while rhe search for, and rransfer ro, a new owner is co mpl ered (ISM, 2 11 Sourh C olumbus Blvd. & Walnur Sr., Philadelphia, PA 19106; Ph. 215 41 3-8655; www.phillyseaporr.o rg)
Olympia, at the Cutting Edge of Technology
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r rhe close of rhe ninereenth century, rhe C ruiser Olymp ia was ar rhe curring edge of rechnology. When she was commissioned in 1895, Olymp ia was ourfirred wirh four General Elecrri c dynamos, which provided direcr current power for lighring, relephones, push-burron bells, annunciarors, morors for rhe machine shop and ve nrilarion blowers, and fire and Aooding alarms. The vessel's sick bay included a dedicared surgical suire complere wirh sream auroclave. H er armor was manufacrured wirh innovarive rechniques never before used by a budding American sreel indusrry. The newly creared Naval G un Facrory in Washingron, DC, m anu facrured her o rdnance, all of American design . Olymp ia was powered by myriad sream engines large and small. She was rhe firsr ship ro have verrical rriple-expansion sream engines and sream -powered hydraulic sreering gear. H er massive rurrers were powered by sream , as were rhe freshwarer evaporarors and disrilling plant. She was even equipped wirh sream-powered Allen dense air icemaking machines for refrigerarion andcold drinking warer. Today, we co nsider all of rhis as srandard ship des ign . Back rhen ir was srareof-rhe-arr. Al l of rhis machinery remains o nboard and is in an am azing srare of preservario n, much of ir in operaring condirion. Olympia is rhe lasr remaining ship of her age. She is a rime capsule of rechnology as well as American naval hisrory and is worrhy of being preserved for furure generarions. - Howard Stephen Serlick Technical Advisor Friends of rhe Cruiser Olympia Engine Order Telegraph
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SEA HISTORY 135, SUMMER 20 11