Cruiser Olympia

The USS Olympia, or Cruiser Olympia, is a part of the Independence Seaport Museum of Philadelphia that is open to the public for tours. As the “oldest remaining steel ship afloat”, the Olympia offers an amazing chance to get a sense of what life was like for servicemen in the United States Navy over a century ago.

The 344-foot USS Olympia was built in 1895 the serve as Commodore George Dewey’s flagship. The Olympia was designed to be fast and deadly, capable of striking supply ships in an enemy fleet. During the Olympia’s construction these needs were rethought, leaving the Olympia as the only one of a type that otherwise would have been its own class. The ship was armed with 4 Gatling guns, 6 torpedo tubes, and 34 other guns that fire shells ranging from 1.46 to 8 inches and was protected by armor that in some spots is nearly 5 inches thick. Looking out from the interior at Penn’s Landing over the barrel of one of the guns, it’s hard not to imagine the firepower of the ship in action.

This firepower was first field tested in the Battle of Manilla Bay during the first major engagement of the Spanish-American War in 1898. After a decisive victory over the Spanish fleet in Manila in which an entire Spanish squadron and set of shore batteries were destroyed and the city surrendered, both Commodore Dewey and the Olympia became famous overnight. Dewey was later promoted to Admiral, and ran an unsuccessful campaign for president two years later.

The Olympia went on to travel the globe. In World War I she ran aground shortly after being launched to patrol the eastern seaboard of the United States, and after repairs was deployed to Murmansk, Russia against Bolshevik fighters. After the war the Olympia transported the remains of the Unknown Soldier from Le Havre, France to the Washington Navy Yard in 1921, she was decommissioned in Philadelphia and has remained there to this day.

While steel-hulled ships should undergo maintenance every 20 years, the Olympia has not been drydocked since 1945, and repairs were estimated to cost $10 million in 2010. There was discussion of sinking the Olympia or selling it to another organization, but thankfully the ship remains in the care of the museum, which spent over $10 million to fix deck leaks and hull plates and remove asbestos.

Touring the Olympia represents a unique opportunity to see a ship unlike any other: she is also the last remaining floating vessel from the Spanish-American War and the interior has been beautifully preserved. Visitors can explore the decks of the ship to look at spots like the crew quarters, infirmary, dining areas, and the Captain’s quarters, and marvel not only at the scale of the ship but also the beauty in its design and engineering. Preservation of unique historic artifacts is never something to be taken for granted: the Olympia could have been sold back to the Navy for scrap, but instead through hard work has been saved so that the public can witness it firsthand. It’s well worth the trip if you’re in Philadelphia, and tours can be arranged through the Independence Seaport Museum’s website here: https://www.phillyseaport.org/cruiser-olympia/