Cruiser Olympia or US colonial past for sale!
After the publication of material on the explosion on the Maine cruiser, many of the VO visitors expressed a desire to learn more about “what happened next?” But it’s unlikely to tell about all the details of the global event succeed, because there are so many of them. Have fun. For example, story about how during the US-Spanish war, being in the Philippines, Winston Churchill became addicted to cigars. There are tragic, because "in war, as in war." But this story is somewhat different from all others. It is also associated with this war — the “first war of the epoch of imperialism” (this definition was given in Soviet textbooks on the history of the CPSU and scientific communism!) —But is the history of ... a ship. And also a cruiser. Only surviving so far, and currently on sale. This is the story of the cruiser Olimpia.
And it was so that after years of devastation the Americans decided to build a fleet worthy of their country and ... began to build it, and immediately the battleships and cruisers. The decision to build six modern cruisers at once was made in the 1888 year, and they were supposed to be the strongest in the world. But then the congressmen decided that the battleships were more necessary, as a result of which only one cruise was laid in 1891. When launched, he was named in honor of the city of Olympia - the capital of Washington on the Pacific coast of the United States, and then he was the flagship of the Pacific cruiser squadron for several years. The most interesting is that the US government received this ship for nothing, since it was built on ... donations from private individuals. Why? Patriotism, you know!
The architecture of the ship was the most traditional: a smooth-deck, with a perished hull, with a ram bow and a torpedo tube above it. Two masts with combat mars and two chimneys had a slight backward inclination, which gave the silhouette of the vessel swiftness. Two triple-expansion steam engines had a capacity of 13,5 thousand l / s, so that, with a displacement of 5800 T, this ship could move at a speed of 21,7 knots. Armament of the cruiser for such a small displacement was extremely powerful: 4 - 203-mm guns in the two gun turrets in the bow and stern and 10 127-mm guns located in the superstructure casemates. The same cruiser Aurora, for example, was heavier on almost 1000 tons, but had only 8 152-mm and 24 - 75-mm. The 57-mm anti-mine guns were located in the sponsons on the hull and openly on the superstructure. In addition, it had as many as six torpedo tubes.
That is, in fact, it was the armament of a good armored cruiser, but because of the relatively small displacement, the Americans made it armored, that is, his armor was in the form of a tortoise-like deck covering the boilers and mechanisms in the hull. The sides of the armor did not have, but at the level of the waterline there was a belt of compartments with coal and cellulose.
The ship served in the Pacific Ocean, and after the explosion of the Maine cruiser in Havana, before the outbreak of war with Spain, he was sent to Hong Kong, from where he, under the command of Commodore J. Dewey, headed for Manila Bay. Spanish battle fleet On May 1, 1898, which he discovered there, it was somewhat reminiscent of our Sinop battle, in which the strongest enemy opposed the weakest. Spanish ships were poorly armed, poorly fired, and as a result, everyone was sunk. Then the cruiser carried a wide variety of services, began to become obsolete, and in 1910 it lost its main-caliber towers, instead of which they put a 127-mm gun. Then the ship was completely put into reserve and disarmed, but in 1916 it was again commissioned. It was Olympia that was in Murmansk when American soldiers landed there, and then after the end of World War I delivered the remains of an American Unknown Soldier to the States in 1921.
In 1957, the ship was turned into a museum and put up at one of the berths in the city of Philadelphia. In 1996, a naval museum was opened on board. In the year, it was visited by up to 90 by thousands of people, which gave a good income, but, nevertheless, with the 2010, the museum ship began to have serious problems.
Inspection of the bottom showed that the ship needed expensive repairs. The corrosion has reached the point that in some sections of the ship through the holes in the hull you can see the sun (!). For repair you need about 20 million dollars, but the museum does not have such money. A few years ago, the museum put the US Navy on notice of this problem, but there indifferently answered that the ship could either be flooded on the spot, or put miles to the south on 90, and flooded it like an artificial reef. That is, a unique ship, the only armored cruiser, participant of the Spanish-American war in the States, turned out to be unnecessary to the Navy.
And today, the Independence Seaport Museum (the so-called museum aboard the ship) put Olimpia for sale, as reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer. The museum administration wants to find a new owner for the cruiser in the period from March 30 to April 1 - a conference has been scheduled for these dates, to which dozens of wealthy collectors should arrive. A number of independent organizations have already expressed interest in purchasing this unique historical relic.
True, money alone in the wallet is not enough. The museum to the new owner of the ship there are many requirements that will be spelled out in the contract of sale. First, the person or organization who bought the ship should not be interested in making a profit from it. Secondly, the buyer, roughly speaking, has to prove that he has the means to repair the ship: the Olympia, built in 1895, is literally falling apart before our eyes and needs urgent repairs. Moreover, the estimate for redecoration is 2-5 million dollars, and repairs in dry dock will require no less than 10-20 million! Well, if the buyer is not there, then
cruiser to be dismantled for scrap. Otherwise, Commodore’s flagship Lewy will simply sink in the waters of the Delaware River, on which he now stands!
And now look at the photos of this ship outside and inside. It is still afloat, and then - who knows!
The Olympia cruiser is the flagship of the US Pacific cruising fleet.
Cruiser "Olympia": a modern look.
Top view of the cruiser museum standing on the Delaver River in Philadelphia.
Fight in Manila Bay.
The main opponent of Olympia during the battle in Manila Bay is the cruiser Reina Cristina (6 - 160-mm guns of the main caliber).
View of the cruiser from the nose.
[Center]
View of the cruiser from the stern.
A copy of the drawings of the cruiser.
[/ Center]
Sponson 57-mm guns.
57-mm gun inside the sponson.
[Center]
127-mm gun with piston bolt.
[Center]
Shutter system banja.
[Center]
And shells to the 127-mm gun ...
[Center]
Bearing tower main caliber on the middle deck.
Shells main caliber.
[Center]
Elevator for feeding shells.
Sailor hammocks and tables for eating.
Well, just a modern dental office!
And this is the operating room. In the foreground apparatus for artificial ventilation of the lungs. Here's how, but what year ?!
[Center]
A latrine for the sailors.
Bathroom officer.
Officer mess-room.
Washing machine team.
Cannon-guns, and in free time from war why not live in comfort ?!
[Center]
Cabin senior officer.
Cabin commander.
Entertainment sailors: tattoo right on the deck of the cruiser.
And it was so that after years of devastation the Americans decided to build a fleet worthy of their country and ... began to build it, and immediately the battleships and cruisers. The decision to build six modern cruisers at once was made in the 1888 year, and they were supposed to be the strongest in the world. But then the congressmen decided that the battleships were more necessary, as a result of which only one cruise was laid in 1891. When launched, he was named in honor of the city of Olympia - the capital of Washington on the Pacific coast of the United States, and then he was the flagship of the Pacific cruiser squadron for several years. The most interesting is that the US government received this ship for nothing, since it was built on ... donations from private individuals. Why? Patriotism, you know!
The architecture of the ship was the most traditional: a smooth-deck, with a perished hull, with a ram bow and a torpedo tube above it. Two masts with combat mars and two chimneys had a slight backward inclination, which gave the silhouette of the vessel swiftness. Two triple-expansion steam engines had a capacity of 13,5 thousand l / s, so that, with a displacement of 5800 T, this ship could move at a speed of 21,7 knots. Armament of the cruiser for such a small displacement was extremely powerful: 4 - 203-mm guns in the two gun turrets in the bow and stern and 10 127-mm guns located in the superstructure casemates. The same cruiser Aurora, for example, was heavier on almost 1000 tons, but had only 8 152-mm and 24 - 75-mm. The 57-mm anti-mine guns were located in the sponsons on the hull and openly on the superstructure. In addition, it had as many as six torpedo tubes.
That is, in fact, it was the armament of a good armored cruiser, but because of the relatively small displacement, the Americans made it armored, that is, his armor was in the form of a tortoise-like deck covering the boilers and mechanisms in the hull. The sides of the armor did not have, but at the level of the waterline there was a belt of compartments with coal and cellulose.
The ship served in the Pacific Ocean, and after the explosion of the Maine cruiser in Havana, before the outbreak of war with Spain, he was sent to Hong Kong, from where he, under the command of Commodore J. Dewey, headed for Manila Bay. Spanish battle fleet On May 1, 1898, which he discovered there, it was somewhat reminiscent of our Sinop battle, in which the strongest enemy opposed the weakest. Spanish ships were poorly armed, poorly fired, and as a result, everyone was sunk. Then the cruiser carried a wide variety of services, began to become obsolete, and in 1910 it lost its main-caliber towers, instead of which they put a 127-mm gun. Then the ship was completely put into reserve and disarmed, but in 1916 it was again commissioned. It was Olympia that was in Murmansk when American soldiers landed there, and then after the end of World War I delivered the remains of an American Unknown Soldier to the States in 1921.
In 1957, the ship was turned into a museum and put up at one of the berths in the city of Philadelphia. In 1996, a naval museum was opened on board. In the year, it was visited by up to 90 by thousands of people, which gave a good income, but, nevertheless, with the 2010, the museum ship began to have serious problems.
Inspection of the bottom showed that the ship needed expensive repairs. The corrosion has reached the point that in some sections of the ship through the holes in the hull you can see the sun (!). For repair you need about 20 million dollars, but the museum does not have such money. A few years ago, the museum put the US Navy on notice of this problem, but there indifferently answered that the ship could either be flooded on the spot, or put miles to the south on 90, and flooded it like an artificial reef. That is, a unique ship, the only armored cruiser, participant of the Spanish-American war in the States, turned out to be unnecessary to the Navy.
And today, the Independence Seaport Museum (the so-called museum aboard the ship) put Olimpia for sale, as reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer. The museum administration wants to find a new owner for the cruiser in the period from March 30 to April 1 - a conference has been scheduled for these dates, to which dozens of wealthy collectors should arrive. A number of independent organizations have already expressed interest in purchasing this unique historical relic.
True, money alone in the wallet is not enough. The museum to the new owner of the ship there are many requirements that will be spelled out in the contract of sale. First, the person or organization who bought the ship should not be interested in making a profit from it. Secondly, the buyer, roughly speaking, has to prove that he has the means to repair the ship: the Olympia, built in 1895, is literally falling apart before our eyes and needs urgent repairs. Moreover, the estimate for redecoration is 2-5 million dollars, and repairs in dry dock will require no less than 10-20 million! Well, if the buyer is not there, then
cruiser to be dismantled for scrap. Otherwise, Commodore’s flagship Lewy will simply sink in the waters of the Delaware River, on which he now stands!
And now look at the photos of this ship outside and inside. It is still afloat, and then - who knows!
The Olympia cruiser is the flagship of the US Pacific cruising fleet.
Cruiser "Olympia": a modern look.
Top view of the cruiser museum standing on the Delaver River in Philadelphia.
Fight in Manila Bay.
The main opponent of Olympia during the battle in Manila Bay is the cruiser Reina Cristina (6 - 160-mm guns of the main caliber).
View of the cruiser from the nose.
[Center]
View of the cruiser from the stern.
A copy of the drawings of the cruiser.
[/ Center]Sponson 57-mm guns.
57-mm gun inside the sponson.
[Center]
127-mm gun with piston bolt.
[Center]
Shutter system banja.
[Center]
And shells to the 127-mm gun ...
[Center]
Bearing tower main caliber on the middle deck.
Shells main caliber.
[Center]
Elevator for feeding shells.
Sailor hammocks and tables for eating.
Well, just a modern dental office!
And this is the operating room. In the foreground apparatus for artificial ventilation of the lungs. Here's how, but what year ?!
[Center]
A latrine for the sailors.
Bathroom officer.
Officer mess-room.
Washing machine team.
Cannon-guns, and in free time from war why not live in comfort ?!
[Center]
Cabin senior officer.
Cabin commander.
Entertainment sailors: tattoo right on the deck of the cruiser.
Information