USS Olympia (C-6)

Type

Protected Cruiser

Period

19th Century

Nation

United States

Overview: USS Olympia (C-6) is a protected cruiser built for the "New Navy" of the late 19th century, famous as Commodore George Dewey's flagship at the 1898 Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War. She is the oldest steel American warship still afloat and the only surviving pre-dreadnought protected cruiser in the world. Specifications: Olympia was built by Union Iron Works of San Francisco, laid down in 1891, launched in 1892, and commissioned on February 5, 1895. As designed she displaced roughly 5,870 tons, measured about 344 feet long with a 53-foot beam, and carried a main battery of four 8-inch guns in two twin turrets along with ten 5-inch guns, a arrangement noted as more efficient than earlier US cruisers of the era; her armored deck rather than a full belt protected her machinery, a design compromise typical of protected cruisers that modelers should note when detailing the hull and deck layout. Service History: After commissioning, Olympia became flagship of the Asiatic Squadron and won lasting fame at the Battle of Manila Bay on May 1, 1898. She later served in the Caribbean, as a training ship for naval cadets, and as a barracks ship, patrolled the Atlantic for U-boats during World War I, took part in the 1919 Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War, and in 1921 carried the remains of the World War I Unknown Soldier home to the United States for interment at Arlington. She was decommissioned for the last time in December 1922. Notable Facts: In 1957 the Navy transferred ownership to the Cruiser Olympia Association, which restored her to her 1898 Battle of Manila Bay configuration; she was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966 and has been part of the Independence Seaport Museum at Penn's Landing since her restoration. The ship faced funding crises and possible loss in the 2010s, with $10-20 million in repairs needed, but the museum secured funding and undertook stabilization work rather than losing the vessel, making her preservation itself a notable part of her story for modelers researching her current appearance. She also retained a vestigial suit of sails for emergency propulsion despite her modern triple-expansion engines, an interesting transitional-era detail for modelers.