USS Olympia
Vessel History
As the age of sail transition to steam there was a period where major naval vessels used a combination of both. By the 1880’s steam propulsion had sufficiently improved to give large naval vessels sufficient range on steam alone. In addition, major naval powers had started to establish coaling station around the world where a naval vessel could be resupplied with coal.
The Olympia was completed in 1885 as a protected cruiser for the US Navy. She was built at Union Drydock in San Francisco and at the time was the largest vessel built in the US West Coast. At the time of her construction, she was built under the doctrine that the United States would not maintain a battle fleet, but instead would engage in commerce raiding in time of war, so she was a large vessel for the US Navy. However, soon after completion of the Olympia, the United States did decide to start to enter the Naval World Stage with the construction of larger battle ships.
As a cruiser she was very much suited to power projection duties against weaker opponents and almost immediately became Commodore Dewey’s flagship in the East Asiatic Squadron. In 1898, during the Spanish American war, she was the most powerful vessel to engage the Spanish squadron in the Battle of Manilla Bay. This was the vessel where Commodore Dewey told Captain Gridley: "You may fire when you are ready Gridley”. Gridley then ordered the forward eight-inch gun turret, commanded by Lt. Stokely Morgan, to open fire, and the starboard eight-inch gun fired the first shell of the battle at the Spanish flagship, quickly overpowering and destroying the much weaker Spanish fleet.
Right after the war in 1899, the vessel was decommissioned, but then recommissioned in 1902. While technically outdated, she continued to serve as a cruiser and naval academy training vessel until 1922, often in very interesting and historic expeditionary assignments, such as the Perdicaris Affair in 1904 and a trip to Murmansk in 1918 to fight the Bolsheviks. Her last significant trip occurred in 1921 when she carried the remains of the American Unknown Soldier from France to the United States during a trip where she passed through two hurricanes.
She was fully decommissioned in 1931 and designated as a Naval Relic. In 1957 she became a museum ship in Philadelphia where she can be visited today.
While technically unremarkable and lacking illustrious combat history, she is one of very few remaining vessels of that era and played a significant role in Naval history between 1898 and 1921.
The model
This model was built by Henry Scheafer from a solid hull Bluejacket kit to a scale of 3/32” to the foot.
