Historical battleship U.S.S. Olympia facing sinking as artificial reef

[jhefner]

The U.S.S Olympia is a National Historic Landmark, a National Historic
Mechanical Engineering Landmark, is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is
part of the Save America's Treasures program. The Olympia is also the oldest
steel floating warship in the world. But, after 50 years of being afloat since
its last drydock, it is need of major repairs to its hull; the cost of those
repairs alone were estimated at $30 million.

Faced with mounting debts, the Cruiser Olympia Society merged with the
Independence Seaport Museum on January 1, 1996. The museum established the
Michael Borsuk Memorial Fund (named for a member of the Living History crew who
passed away in June 2000), but apparently the money coming in could not keep up
with the ship's maintenance. The Independence Seaport Museum has now decided to
deaccess the ship and sell it for scrap; there is also talk of sinking off New
Jersey as an artifical reef. This article was on the front page this past weekend:

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20100523_Historic_warship_s_future_may_be_sunk.htm l?cmpid=41144277

The ship will be closed to the general public in September.

The Friends of the Cruiser Olympia was formed this year to take ownership of the
Olympia, and to raise money for the needed repairs. They announced last weekend
that they are now umbrelled by a New York group and can officially start
collecting money for the Olympia. The Friends website is at:

http://www.fotco.org (http://www.fotco.org)

Support of this worthy project would be greatly appreciated. There are pictures
of the steam machinery found about the Olympia in the Steam Lizard Photo Gallery at:

http://www.steampump.org/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=1444 (http://www.steampump.org/gallery/album36)

-James

[PRB]

That is an outrage beyond my capacity to express. Without using very bad words.

[Brian_Gladden]

That is an outrage beyond my capacity to express. Without using very bad words.

I agree wholeheartedly. Particularly that George Dewey and I were born in the same town. The Olimpia needs to be saved.



Brian

[Ken Stallings]

Money is tight, but I think it can be found for this one.

Ken

[safn1949]

Unfortunately the USS Texas and the USS Alabama are in the same fix.The hulls are degrading and there's no money.They both have plans to be permanently taken out of the water,sort of a drydock that will be filled in to make a park around them.

But no cash.:frown:

[Willy]

That is an outrage beyond my capacity to express. Without using very bad words.

Same here!

[TARPSBird]

It would be a shameful event if this historic ship were to be scrapped, or sunk as an artificial reef. :mad: To avoid further hull deterioration she should be removed from the water completely and either placed on a barge or preserved in a manner similar to the Japanese battleship Mikasa which is totally land-locked at Yokosuka. (see pic) She's very close to the quay wall so when you walk up to her you hardly even notice she's not afloat.

[norab]

Even though Olympia has been stricken from the rolls, I don't believe it can be disposed of without th.e approval of the Navy. Hopefully someone there will recognize her value to history and save her. perhaps writing to your congressmen is in order

[tigisfat]

It would be a shameful event if this historic ship were to be scrapped, or sunk as an artificial reef. :mad: To avoid further hull deterioration she should be removed from the water completely and either placed on a barge or preserved in a manner similar to the Japanese battleship Mikasa which is totally land-locked at Yokosuka. (see pic) She's very close to the quay wall so when you walk up to her you hardly even notice she's not afloat.

That looks like the perfect solution, and a permanent one at that.

[Willy]

The battleship Texas is supposed to be getting a similar permanent drydocking in her near future too.

[Emil Frand]

Grew up near Philly and have toured that boat and sub many times last visit home took my kids. I doubt it'll end up as a reef or scrapped. Its sad as the Navy could spend the 50 million to save that boat without blinking but for whatever reasons cant or wont. This is a common story but to me it seems every state or interested group is trying to raise monry for this or that ship and is having problems doing it. The Kennedy(CV-67) which now sits in the Philly navy yard which I served on in the 70s is in the same situation along with the Saratoga CV60 and Forestal CV59. Across the river from the Oylmpia sits the battleship New Jersey. I just dont think its possible to save them and all the others that are sitting rotting away waiting for money and if saved the cost of keeping a 1,000 foot aircraft carrier has got to cost more than it could bring in as a museum.
Olympia is an exception with truely historical value, cant save em all but they should save and I believe they will save this one. Maybe other groups will come to realize trying to save the Saratoga or Kennedy or whatever ship isnt likely and will kick in to save the Olympia.

[Snuffy]

I suppose a reef is the lesser of two evils.

The other of course would be cutting her up and recycling her into god only knows what ...

:salute:

[norab]

the liner S.S. United States is also docked in Philadelphia awaiting it's fate. It held the Blue Ribband for fastest trans-atlantic crossing by a liner for longer than any other liner and was only beaten relatively recently by Richard branson in a souped up yaht not a real liner. Norwegian Cruise lines bought her with an eye toward refurbishing her for cruises but has decided that it would cost to much, so another bit of maritime history decays at the dock

[jhefner]

the liner S.S. United States is also docked in Philadelphia awaiting it's fate. It held the Blue Ribband for fastest trans-atlantic crossing by a liner for longer than any other liner and was only beaten relatively recently by Richard branson in a souped up yaht not a real liner. Norwegian Cruise lines bought her with an eye toward refurbishing her for cruises but has decided that it would cost to much, so another bit of maritime history decays at the dock

The S.S. United State's fate is a tragic one. She was towed to Turkey, and her interior scapped out some time ago; so she can no longer be preserved intact as a floating musuem and hotel, like the RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach and now the S.S. Rotterdam in Rotterdam. I have also been told that the rubber membrane that seperated her aluminum superstructure from her steel hull has rotted away, and intermetal corrusion is taking place. (The superstructure was made of aluminum to lower the ship's center of gravity.) So she will need major work and cubic dollars just to have the ability to haul passengers again.

Her steam powerplant is from an Essex class aircraft carrier, totally uneconomical to run in say a cruise type operation. Yet, her hull is too fine to carry enough passengers to warrent conversion to diesel (like the QE 2) and rebuilding of her interior.

She is a U.S. flagged vessel, and that is what prompted her purchase - U.S. flagged vessels are granted certain access rights to U.S. ports that non-U.S. flagged vessels are not. But, with rise in oil prices, the fate and scapping of the S.S. Norway (ex-France, owned by the NCL along with the S.S. U.S.), and the world economy in general, doing anything with her at all doesn't make economic sense.

So she just sits. I too, will shed a tear if and when she is hauled away for scrapping; but if I had to choose between the two; it makes far more sense to save the Olympia.

-James

[norab]

but if I had to choose between the two; it makes far more sense to save the Olympia

I agree 100 percent, just a crime that these magnificent vessels have fallen into this sad state. people only realize the value of these creations when they are gone:frown: