USS Olympia looking for a new home

[TrackIron]

From Wikipedia:

Plans were made to close Olympia to visitors on November 22, 2010, due to the poor material condition of the ship and a lack of operating funds.[36] These plans were scrapped, and Independence Seaport Museum agreed to keep the ship open with regular hours through 31 December, and then reduced hours through 31 March 2011.[37] The museum will hold a summit in early 2011 with the Navy, Navy Sea Systems Command, National Park Service, and the Pennsylvania Historical Museum Commission, to determine what steps can be taken to save the cruiser.[38]

What are the local inmates doing these days? Navy could donate drydock time and inmates could do the scraping, blasting, painting, and cleaning. Grab some boilermakers and get some steel donated...

[gearhead]

If they could get dry dock space, NJ or PA, I do think there are enough volunteers who love and appreciate histrical artifacts here in the northeast.
Myself and at least three others would help.

Ed

[steve1973]

Just checking to see if there is any new news on the fate of the Olympia?

[battlebaby3]

Lol the US Navy don't donate anything anymore. Let alone a drydock space and volunteers. We tried to get the local Seabees to help with a small job, make a portable foot bridge. We got "Can't do" impossible to do.
I hope things got better with the Olympia.

Pat

[lkyfwd]

Toured it with my son about a year ago. You would think with all the waste from Wall Street someone would come forward to assist in its preservation. Still an awesome piece of equipment from our naval history. Just to walk around her you could hear the crew, etc. Really excellent.

[mfrance]

Talk was its coming to Vallejo CA as a peice since they lost the Iowa to Los Angeles, since the ship was built in San Francisco area.

[dilvoy]

Talk was its coming to Vallejo CA as a peice since they lost the Iowa to Los Angeles, since the ship was built in San Francisco area.

There is 16' less draft on the Olympia than the Iowa so maybe there won't be any need to dredge a channel to get the ship to the Vallejo waterfront, but the tow from the east coast is going to cost plenty just by itself. I hope they can get the ship, but if they coulden't come up with the one million dollars for the dredge of the channel to bring the Iowa there, how are they going to come up with the funds to recover the Olympia and then have it drydocked and have repairs done? It seems like a dream to me, but I hope it will happen.

[tipdog]

Given Olympia's poor material condition, it's highly unlikely she'd survive the trip from Philadelphia to the West Coast.

[W. Winget]

If they can pick up the USS Cole after receiving a hole in the side and transport it across the Atlantic, they could easily transport the USS Olympia on the same ship. They have floating drydock ships just for these naval transportation operations (tugs and landingcraft get overseas this way as well)
So nothing is impossible with funds.

But if they want to keep it there, I'd recomend buiding an interlocking steel wall cofferdam around the hull, draining the water out while bracing her, then treat the hull, paint it, while building a concrete retaining wall inside the steel cofferdam wall and finally a steel/concrete cradle to create a permanent drydock in place. Wouldn't have to move the ship at all and it would cost far less than hiring a drydock/blasting/repairs. etc. and become a permanent solution.
V/R W. Winget

[Longshaor]

If they can pick up the USS Cole after receiving a hole in the side and transport it across the Atlantic, they could easily transport the USS Olympia on the same ship.

The real problem is the Olympia is in such poor material condition she most likely wouldn't survive the tow TO the ship! The vessel in question, the MV Blue Marlin, draws 96' of water when submerged for loading. Even accepting she'd only have to draw 88' to leave a 10' clear margin under the Olympia, the majority of the shipping channel up the Delaware River is still only 40' deep - and the dredging project underway currently will only deepen it to 45'. As such, the Blue Marlin would have to stand off in deep water while the Olympia is towed to her, a tow she likely wouldn't survive.

The best solution would be to tow her the 4 miles or so down-river to the former Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and have her drydocked for repairs, however since the yard is now in private hands, there is no telling how much the already cash-strapped Independence Seaport Museum - who still have charge of maintianing Olympia - would be charged for use of one.

For those who aren't aware, this all started with one John Carter, the former head of the Independence Seaport Museum, embezzling roughly $2.5 million from the museum, none of which has, as far as I am aware, been recovered. The net result has been a multi-front disaster. The ship herself is in desperate need of immediate attention, however ISM does not have the funds to make the needed repairs, and given the magnatude of the Carter scandal coupled with the economic downturn of the last several years, donations are far lower than in the past so the prospect for raising the funds in the near future are unlikely.

In consultation with the US Navy, the ISM requested Transfer Applications (TAPP Phase I) from other non-profits who were interested in assuming custody of the Olympia. Of the 6 received, ones from Philadelphia, Washington DC, Charleston (SC) and Mare Island (CA) were accepted as viable and, currently, the Friends of the Cruiser Olympia, a Pennsylvania based group, is raising the $8 million to move to TAPP Phase II.

The only bright spot in all this gloom is actually part of the problem - that Olympia is silted into her berth to the point that, of the roughly $40 million the Philadelphia Inquirer stated would be required to completely repair Olympia and return her to her spot on the Philly waterfront, roughly $10 to $15 million is needed simply to dredge her out of her berth into the shipping channel! In short, she's effectively aground, so at least she can't sink.

[Dave K.]

http://blog.preservationnation.org/2011 ... re-needed/

[brian in denver]

ran accross this post.
http://www.scolympia.org/

BB

[dilvoy]

I was recently in Philadelphia for the first time and after visiting Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and Benjamin Franklin's grave I made a bee line to the USS Olympia. Interesting ship. Very roomy inside and plenty of old world woodwork.

[dilvoy]

[dilvoy]