USS Olympia (C-6, 1895), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The USS Olympia is a magnificent but sadly overlooked historical treasure on display at Penn's Landing waterfront area on the Delaware river. It is part of the wonderful Independence Seaport Museum, Philadelphia.

The Olympia is one of a kind, the oldest steel American warship still afloat. Its history is incredible:
- The cruiser became famous as the flagship of Commodore George Dewey at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War in 1898
- Olympia served in World War I in 1917-18 patrolling the eastern U.S. coastline
- It participated in the 1919 Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War
- And in 1921, the Olympia carried the remains of World War I's Unknown Soldier from France to Washington, D.C., where his body was interred in Arlington National Cemetery

In 1957, the U.S. Navy gave her to the Cruiser Olympia Association, which restored the ship to her 1898 configuration. Since then, Olympia has been a museum ship in Philadelphia, and is designated a National Historic Landmark.

Sadly, by 2010 when I took this photo, years of neglect resulted in Olympia being in such poor condition that she was clearly going to eventually sink without significant repair work. The City of Philadelphia was unwilling to spend the money to keep her afloat. Fortunately, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the U.S. Cruiser Sailors Association and many individual donors were able to save her and by 2017 the Independence Seaport Museum had completed the first phase of repairs. Olympia now needs to be dry-docked for additional work on her hull.

Sitting to starboard of Olympia is the World War II submarine USS Becuna, the bow of which is barely visible in this photo. If you happen to be visiting Philadelphia, home to so much U.S. history, the Becuna, Olympia and the Independence Seaport Museum are well worth your time!

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Taken in: United States / Pennsylvania / Philadelphia / Penn's Landing (show map)

Taken on: October 23, 2010

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Camera: Nikon D60, f/10.0, 1/400 sec, 44mm (=66mm), ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D60
Lens:	AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G
Aperture:	f/10.0
Exposure Time:	0.003 sec (1/400)
Focal Length:	44mm (35mm equivalent: 66mm)
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Not Defined
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Light Source:	Unknown (Unknown)
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	GIMP 2.8.14
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