After the publication of the material about the explosion on the cruiser "Maine", many of the VO visitors expressed a desire to learn more about "what happened next?" But it will hardly be possible to tell about all the details of a global event, even if it was a "little colonial war", since there are a lot of them. There are funny ones. For example, the story of how during the Spanish-American War, while in the Philippines, Winston Churchill became addicted to cigars. There are tragic ones, because "in war, as in war." But this story is in some way different from all the others. It is also associated with this war - "the first war of the era of imperialism" (such a definition was given to it in Soviet textbooks on the history of the CPSU and scientific communism!) - but it is the history of … a ship. And also a cruiser. It has only survived so far, and is currently up for sale. This is the story of the cruiser Olympia.
And it so happened that after many years of devastation, the Americans decided to build a fleet worthy of their country and … began to build it, both battleships and cruisers at once. The decision to build six modern cruisers at once was made in 1888, and, according to the plan, they were supposed to be the strongest in the world. But then the congressmen decided that the battleships were more needed, as a result of which only one cruiser was laid down in 1891. When launched, he was named after Olympia, the capital of Washington state on the Pacific coast of the United States, and then for several years he was the flagship of the Pacific cruising squadron. The most interesting thing is that the US government received this ship for free, since it was built on … donations from individuals. And what? Patriotism, you know!
The architecture of the ship was the most traditional: a smooth-decked hull with a death, with a ram stem and a torpedo tube above it. Two masts with battle tops and two chimneys had a slight backward tilt, which gave the ship's silhouette swiftness. Two steam engines of triple expansion had a capacity of 13.5 thousand l / s, due to which, with a displacement of 5800 tons, this ship could move at a speed of 21.7 knots. The cruiser's armament for such a small displacement was extremely powerful: 4 - 203-mm guns in two gun turrets on the bow and aft and 10 127-mm guns located in the superstructure casemates. The same cruiser "Aurora", for example, was heavier by almost 1000 tons, but had only 8 152-mm and 24 - 75-mm. Mine countermeasures 57 mm were located in 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 due to the relatively small displacement, the Americans made it armored, that is, its armor was in the form of a tortoise-like deck covering the boilers and mechanisms in the hull itself. The sides had no armor, 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 cruiser "Maine" in Havana, before the start of the war with Spain, he was sent to Hong Kong, from where he headed to Manila Bay under the command of Commodore J. Dewey. The battle with the Spanish fleet on May 1, 1898, which he discovered there, was somewhat reminiscent of our battle of Sinop, in which the strongest enemy opposed the weakest. The Spanish ships were poorly armed, fired poorly, and as a result, all were sunk. Then the cruiser carried out a wide variety of services, began to become obsolete, and in 1910 she lost her main caliber turrets, instead of which they installed a 127-mm gun. Then the ship was completely withdrawn to the reserve and disarmed, but in 1916 it was put into operation again. It was the Olympia that was in Murmansk when the American soldiers landed there, and then, after the end of the First World War, delivered the ashes of the American Unknown Soldier to the States in 1921.
In 1957, the ship was turned into a museum and exhibited at one of the docks in Philadelphia. In 1996, a naval museum was opened on board the ship. Up to 90 thousand people visited it a year, which gave good revenue, but, nevertheless, since 2010, the ship-museum began to have serious problems.
Inspection of the bottom showed that the ship needed expensive repairs. Corrosion has reached the point that in some compartments of the ship, through the holes in the hull, the sun is visible (!). For repairs, about 20 million dollars are needed, but the museum does not have that kind of money. A few years ago, the museum alerted the US Navy to this problem, but they responded indifferently that the ship could either be sunk on the spot, or taken out 90 miles south and flooded there like an artificial reef. That is, a unique ship, the only armored cruiser, a participant in the Spanish-American War in the States, turned out to be unnecessary for the Navy.
And today the Independence Seaport Museum (the so-called onboard museum) put the Olympia up for sale, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The administration of the museum wants to find a new owner for the cruiser between March 30 and April 1 - a conference has been scheduled for these dates, to which dozens of wealthy collectors are to arrive. A number of independent organizations have already expressed their interest in purchasing this unique historical relic.
True, the money in the wallet alone is not enough. The museum has many requirements to the new owner of the ship, which will be spelled out in the purchase and sale agreement. First, the person or organization that bought the ship should not be interested in making a profit from it. Secondly, the buyer, roughly speaking, has to prove that he has funds to repair the ship: the Olympia, built in 1895, is falling apart literally before our eyes and needs urgent repairs. Moreover, the estimate for cosmetic repairs is 2-5 million dollars, and repairs in the dry dock will require at least 10-20 million more! Well, if there is no buyer, then
the cruiser will be dismantled for scrap. Otherwise, Commodore Lewey's flagship will simply sink in the waters of the Delaware River, on which it now stands!
Now look at the photographs of this ship from the outside and from the inside. He is still afloat, and then - who knows!
The Olympia cruiser is the flagship of the US Pacific cruising fleet.
The cruiser Olympia: a modern look.
An overhead view of the Museum Cruiser on the Delaware River in Philadelphia.
Fight in Manila Bay.
The main enemy of Olympia during the battle in Manila Bay is the cruiser Reina Christina (6 - 160-mm main guns).
View of the cruiser from the nose.
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View of the cruiser from the stern.
A copy of the blueprints for the cruiser.
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Sponson of the 57 mm gun.
57 mm cannon inside the sponson.
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127 mm piston bolt cannon.
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Bungee shutter.
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And shells for the 127-mm gun …
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Main caliber turret support on the middle deck.
Main caliber shells.
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An elevator for feeding shells.
Sailor's hammocks and dining tables.
Well, just a modern dental office!
This is the operating room. In the foreground is a ventilator. Here's how, but what year ?!
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Toilet for sailors.
Officer's bathroom.
Officer's wardroom.
Washing machine team.
Cannons, cannons, and in your free time from war, why not live in comfort ?!
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Senior officer's cabin.
The ship's commander's cabin.
Sailor entertainment: tattoo right on the deck of the cruiser.
