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PhillyBurbs.com: Historic Olympia warship may be sunk to make reef
Historic Olympia warship may be sunk to make reef.
By: Marty Reddington
phillyBurbs.com
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A U.S. warship that survived the Spanish-American War and World War I and has been on the Philadelphia waterfront for a half-century may wind up in a watery grave — sunk deliberately to form an artificial reef off New Jersey.
The Independence Seaport Museum says it can no longer afford the upkeep of the cruiser Olympia, the last surviving vessel from the 1898 Spanish-American War, which is now docked at Penn's Landing. At least $20 million is needed to tow, restore, interpret and endow the deteriorating vessel, interim museum president James McLane said.
The museum and the Navy have already checked with officials of New Jersey's Artificial Reef Program on the possibility of sinking the 5,600-ton ship. The vessel will be open until the end of September and then closed while its future is determined.
"Another option would be scrapping Olympia," McLane said. "But the Navy has told us that 'reefing' is better because it would allow divers to go down on it and would preserve Olympia."
Navy spokeswoman Patricia Dolan said any plan to scrap or reef the vessel would need Navy approval. Larry Hajna, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, said the department is not endorsing the idea.
The possibility dismays Harry Burkhardt, president of Friends of the Cruiser Olympia, which has begun trying to raise money to preserve the ship. Burkhardt, 53, a merchant marine captain from South Philadelphia, said he would turn the Olympia into a self-sustaining museum with a living history crew and education programs for inner-city children.
The Olympia was state-of-the-art when it led five other U.S. warships into Manila Bay in the Philippines on May 1, 1898. Commodore George Dewey was standing on the ship's bridge when he gave the famous order "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley."
Under Dewey's command, the U.S. fleet destroyed 10 Spanish cruisers and gunboats in hours without losing an American life. The Olympia spent World War I in the Atlantic Ocean and brought remains of the Unknown Soldier home from France in 1921.
The vessel was docked at the Philadelphia Navy Yard from 1922 to 1959 and was on display at Pier 11 at the Benjamin Franklin Bridge through the 1960s until 1976, when it was moved to Penn's Landing. The vessel is now the world's oldest floating steel warship.
Naval historian Lawrence Burr said scrapping or sinking the vessel off New Jersey would be "a national disgrace and major embarrassment for Philadelphia and Pennsylvania." He said the reefing plan would make the ship accessible only to a small number of divers and might result in it being plundered for souvenirs.
"Neither the Spanish navy in 1898 nor the German navy in 1917-18 was able to sink Olympia," he said. "It will be ironic if the state of New Jersey is able to sink this unique historic warship."
Mountain States Collector - Article
Historic Naval Ships Visitors Guide - USS Olympia
Historic Olympia warship may be sunk to make reef.
By: Marty Reddington
phillyBurbs.com
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A U.S. warship that survived the Spanish-American War and World War I and has been on the Philadelphia waterfront for a half-century may wind up in a watery grave — sunk deliberately to form an artificial reef off New Jersey.
The Independence Seaport Museum says it can no longer afford the upkeep of the cruiser Olympia, the last surviving vessel from the 1898 Spanish-American War, which is now docked at Penn's Landing. At least $20 million is needed to tow, restore, interpret and endow the deteriorating vessel, interim museum president James McLane said.
The museum and the Navy have already checked with officials of New Jersey's Artificial Reef Program on the possibility of sinking the 5,600-ton ship. The vessel will be open until the end of September and then closed while its future is determined.
"Another option would be scrapping Olympia," McLane said. "But the Navy has told us that 'reefing' is better because it would allow divers to go down on it and would preserve Olympia."
Navy spokeswoman Patricia Dolan said any plan to scrap or reef the vessel would need Navy approval. Larry Hajna, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, said the department is not endorsing the idea.
The possibility dismays Harry Burkhardt, president of Friends of the Cruiser Olympia, which has begun trying to raise money to preserve the ship. Burkhardt, 53, a merchant marine captain from South Philadelphia, said he would turn the Olympia into a self-sustaining museum with a living history crew and education programs for inner-city children.
The Olympia was state-of-the-art when it led five other U.S. warships into Manila Bay in the Philippines on May 1, 1898. Commodore George Dewey was standing on the ship's bridge when he gave the famous order "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley."
Under Dewey's command, the U.S. fleet destroyed 10 Spanish cruisers and gunboats in hours without losing an American life. The Olympia spent World War I in the Atlantic Ocean and brought remains of the Unknown Soldier home from France in 1921.
The vessel was docked at the Philadelphia Navy Yard from 1922 to 1959 and was on display at Pier 11 at the Benjamin Franklin Bridge through the 1960s until 1976, when it was moved to Penn's Landing. The vessel is now the world's oldest floating steel warship.
Naval historian Lawrence Burr said scrapping or sinking the vessel off New Jersey would be "a national disgrace and major embarrassment for Philadelphia and Pennsylvania." He said the reefing plan would make the ship accessible only to a small number of divers and might result in it being plundered for souvenirs.
"Neither the Spanish navy in 1898 nor the German navy in 1917-18 was able to sink Olympia," he said. "It will be ironic if the state of New Jersey is able to sink this unique historic warship."
Mountain States Collector - Article
Historic Naval Ships Visitors Guide - USS Olympia
