H istorical Foundacion, che Historic Naval Ships Associacion, che Council of American Maricime M useums, and we ac che Nacional Maricime H istorical Sociery-have formed a coal icion to solicic immediace supporc. O nly chro ugh a nacio nal campaign can we even hope to raise che funds required for che ship's mosc pressing needs. This coalicio n seeks to raise money fo r Olympia's immediace emergency repai rs, regardless of who ends up as che nexc sceward. Olympia is che oldes c sceel warship afloac in che wo rld today. D esignaced as a "procecced cruiser" because of her armored placing, she was launched in 1892 as a 5,870ro n vessel, 344 fee c in lengch and 53 fee c o n che beam wich a m ean drafr of2 1. 5 feec. Ac fu ll power, she au ained speeds in excess of2 1 kno cs, driven by rwin 9,000-horsepower vertical inverted criple-expansion engines powered by sceam from six Admiral George Dewey, on the deck Scorch boilers. ofhis fla,gship, Olympia, 1899. The US Navy flagship char led che American bacde line againsc a Spanish squadron ac Manila Bay on 1 M ay 1898, Olympia fired che fi rs c shoes when Adm iral George D ewey uccered chose imm o rcal wo rds to Capcain C harles Vernon G rid ley, "Yo u may fire when ready, G ridley." Today, Olympia is an iconic symbol of American dem ocracy and carri es che m em ory of chis impo rtanc chapcer in o ur histo ry, fro m w hi ch ch e Un iced Sca res em erged as a world power. Olympia represen red Ameri ca's co mmicment ro Manifes c D esciny. H er srory is complicaced , as is crue for any Ameri can icon . In repo rting on Olympia, our presidem em ericus Pecer Scanfo rd scared : "Like any greac movement in histo ry, che US awake ning to greac power scam s was a mixed bag, wich accompanying errors and , yes, some crimes which m osc American s rue today. Bue che Ame ri can Republic can confuse cheworl d and icself by decrying che enormous, cricically importam achievem em s of ics free people intervening on behalf of freedom chrougho uc che wo rld. If char confusion ever beco mes serious enough, freedo m will be che loser, and may soon fi nd icself again ac risk chro ughouc che wo rld. W here che balance should be scruck, shore of mindless criumphalism on one hand and abnegacion of che responsibili cies of power on che ocher, is a quescion fo r each cicizen to decide. Olympia's story poses char ques cion as ic was mer by Ameri cans just over a century ago." As a natio n, we suffe r fro m a lack of knowledge of ou r history, which undoubcedly comes back to haum us if we canno t learn fro m che lessons of the pas c. D estroying the phys ical evidence of this history will o nly serve to accelerate the ra ce that Americans forge t their own history. American museums and organizations, no marcer where chey are locaced no r whac particular part of history they interpret, are raking up the cause by asking cheir members to donace mo ney for this efforc. Yes, times are ro ugh , and m oney has never been tighter. In theory, it should be someone else's job to save Olympia, but since chere isn't someone else, we, as individuals who m ake up chis greac nation , can step up and save this impo rtant ship in the sho rt term by d onacing the funds for Olympia's mosc pressing repairs . W hile che challenging task of planning fo r rhe ship's long-term preservacion is underway, we have ro ace now to keep che ship afloac so there is someching lefr to preserve. NM H S will be sending yo u a requesc fo r support for che shi p, and I ask you . . . will yo u help save USS Olymp ia? Read m ore about Olympia and che ques t fo r a national consensus on histori c ship preservation, wri uen by Cap tai n Wal ter Rybka, on pages 38-40. - Burchenal Green, President National Maritime Historical Society
SEA HISTORY 135, SUMMER 20 11
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NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PU BLISHER'S CIRCLE: Peter Aron, Guy E. C. Maidand , W illi am H . W hite
OFFICERS & T RUST EES: Chairman , Ronald L. O swald; Vice Chairman, Richardo R. Lo pes; President, Burchenal Green; Vice Presidents, Deirdre O 'Regan, Na ncy Schnaars; Treasurer, Howard Slotnick; Secretary, 1l10mas F. Daly. Trustees: Charl es B. Anderso n; Walter R. Brown; James Ca rter; David S. Fowler; Virginia Steele Grubb; Karen Helmerson; Robert Kam m; Ri chard M. Larrabee; James J. McNamara; Ri chard Scarano; Philip J. Shap iro; Peter H . Sharp; Bradfo rd D. Smith ; H. C. Bowen Smith; Cesare So rio; Philip J. Webster; Daniel W. W halen; W illiam H . Whi te. Trustees Elect: RADM Joseph F. Callo, USN R (Ret. ); W ill iam Jackso n Green; Capt. Sall y Chin McElwreath, USN R (Ret.); Michael W. Mo rrow; Timothy J. Runya n; Jean Wo rt Chairmen Emeriti, Walter R. Brown, Ala n G. Choate, Guy E. C. Maitl and , H oward Slotn ick; President Emeritus, Peter Stanfo rd FOUNDER: Karl Ko rtum (19 17-1996) OVERSEERS: Chairman, RADM Dav id C. Brown; Clive Cussler; Richard du Moulin ; Alan D . Hutchison; Jakob Isbrandtsen; Gary Jobso n; Sir Robin Knox-Johnsron; John Lehman; Brian McAl lister; John Srobarr; William Winterer NMHS ADVISORS: Chairman, Melbourne Smith ; D. K. Abbass; Geo rge Bass; Oswald Brett; RADM Joseph F. Callo, USNR (Ret.); Francis J. Duffy; John S. Ewald; T imothy Foote; W illiam Gilkerso n; Steven A. Hyman; J. Russell Jinishian; Hajo Knurrel; Gunnar Lundeberg; Joseph A. Maggio; Conrad Milster; W ill iam G. Muller; Stuart Parn es; Lori Dillard Rech; Nancy Hughes Richardson; Bert Rogers; Joyce Huber Smith SEA HISTORY EDITORIAL ADVISO RY BOARD: Chairman, T imothy J. Runya n; No rman J. Brouwer; Robert Browning; William S. Dudley; Daniel Finamore; Kevin Foster; John Odin Jensen; Joseph F. Meany; Lisa Norling; Carl a Rahn Phillips; Walter Rybka; Q uentin Snediker; William H . White
NMHS STAFF: Executive D irector, Burchenal Green; Mem bership D irector, Nancy Schnaa rs; Communications Director, Suzanne Isaksen; Marketing D irector, Steve Lovass-Nagy; Accounting, Jill Romeo; Store Sales & Vo lunteer Coordinator, Jane Maurice SEA H I STO R Y. Editor, D eird re O ' Rega n; Advertising D irector, Wendy Paggiotta; Copy Editor, Shelley Reid; Editor-at-Large, Peter
Stanfo rd
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