An effort is underway to save the historic ship Olympia:

PHILADELPHIA - You could call it a battle cry to action. The Independence Seaport Museum, and a host of partners has issued an urgent call for the preservation of the Cruiser, Olympia for future generations.

"There's nothing like it in the world, and there never was anything quite like in the world," said Jesse Lebovics.

In fact, it is the world's oldest floating steel warship, and the only surviving naval ship of the Spanish American War.

In 1898, Olympia brought its big guns to bear upon the Spanish fleet in the Philippines. Commodore George Dewey and his flagship were Superstars that year as they crushed the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay in less than six hours.

It was the first decisive battle in the Spanish-American war, and it helped transform a young nation into a world power.

But that was more than a century ago.

"The Olympia is slowly, structurally decaying and our biggest fear is her potentially sinking of some other damage that would preclude her from ever being seen again," explains the ship's manager, Jesse Lebovics.

The ship is in critical need of hull and deck repair, and dry-docking, which is beyond the capacity of the Seaport Museum. It is seeking to transfer stewardship of Olympia to another organization.

"It's time for someone else to take care of the baby. We love her, but other people do also," said Captain John Gazzola.

The ship is safe for touring, which gives you a sense of extraordinarily unique maritime history.

"It also gives you a sense of what our forefathers sacrificed for us and future generations," said Captain Gazzola.

Not many museums give you the opportunity to stand on the artifacts.

"There's a lot of very hard work that goes into that," Captain Gazzola said.

Captain Gazzola says to ensure the long-term preservation of the Olympia, ownership of the vessel must be transferred to an able steward within two years, otherwise, officials would pursue scrapping or sinking the ship on a reef.

Source: By Lisa Thomas-Laury. Wednesday, March 30, 2011

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