Philadelphia losing the 1898 USS Olympia

[OldHoodoo]

I'm a native Texan but I was raised in Levittown so I will always have an affinity for Philly and will aways be part Pennsylvanian in my heart. Therefore, I can feel some regret that Philly is losing what should have been a great attraction to the City, the great 1898 cruiser USS Olympia. I won't tell you the history of this, one of America's greatest remaining historical ships, only second or even equal to the USS Constitution of 1812 fame, you can look it up but you should know of it if you got any kind of education. The Olympia was close to being idiotically scrapped in the 1950's but Philly saved the ship then. However, time has taken it's toll and if the Olympia is going to survive to posterity then major work to it's hull and deck must be done now. Right now the museum with the Olympia is trying to give it away to four competing entities, none of which are doing anything for the Olympia now and all of which have questionable funding. The Olympia's hull rust is not waiting. The Olympia isn't a large ship, almost comparable to a WWII destroyer but it is huge in significance. What I am asking Philadelphians to do is help raise awareness of the current plight of this soon to be gone Philadelphia landmark. It is not going to look good for Philly if the Olympia, still a beautiful ship, sinks at it's berth or rolls over, or even if it is scrapped or sunk as a reef. It was unfair of the nation to expect Philly to keep this ship shipshape alone but then again it was treated like a local landmark and the nation forgot about it. I am not asking Philadelphian's to foot the bill to save the Olympia, I am asking you help get the word out to the nation of the Olympia's plight. Don't be misled by those who will tell you everything is under control--it most decidedly is not. And the answer is not throwing local money at the Olympia, National Awareness needs to be raised, and it needs to start in Philadelphia. Once Philadelphia was the nerve center of this nation, regarding the Olympia it needs to be so again. Only the National Trust for Historic Preservation USS Olympia website is channeling donated money directly into Olympia repairs and much more is needed....Olympia's hull needs restoration, not patching. I would be quite happy to see the Olympia stay in Philly, but it is ESSENTIAL to the heritage of this nation that the ship survives somewhere. Please help save it. And yes we Texas are striving to save what is no less than number three of America's most unique and historically valuable ships, the USS Texas, BB-35, the last surviving dreadnought battleship in the world.

[SHOOTER13]

That would be a shame...as Philly has a very rich maritime heritage.

I was on board the USS Olympia quite a few times...and I would hate to see her lost to the ages...or another city...due to lack of funding.

I have also been on board the USS Becuna (SS/AGSS-319), a WWII submarine tied up along side the Olympia. The Becuna received four battle stars for her World War II service before being decommissioned on 7 November 1969.

Another favorite of mine across the river is the USS New Jersey (BB-62) ("Big J" or "Black Dragon") ...an Iowa-class battleship, and was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the U.S. state of New Jersey. New Jersey earned more battle stars (19) for combat actions than the other three completed Iowa-class battleships, and is the only U.S. battleship to provide gunfire support during the Vietnam War.

If you ever visit the area...you owe it to yourself to take a tour of these classic Naval vessels...