USS Oregon in the Spanish American War

[psteinmayer]

I visited the USS Olympia C-6/CA-15 when I was in Philadelphia on business. While touring the ship, I struck up a conversation with one of the volunteers and discovered that we both served in the same rating on sister ships (I on USS Ranger CV-61 and he on USS Forrestal CV-59) at the same time. He then took me on a private tour of the engineering spaces below decks! All in all, I spent about 6 hours with him below decks, and had an amazing time! The Olympia is an incredible ship with equally incredible history... and it's a travesty how she is being allowed disintegrate. The same can be said for the Battleship USS Texas BB-35... another museum ship that is in danger of disintegration!

[jon_norstog]

Is it true that the Oregon arrived on station under a full head of steam and IMMEDIATELY entered the fray, or had she been there for awhile?

She arrived off Jupiter Inlet in Florida May 24 and was detailed to Key West by the Navy. From there she joined the blockade. So it wasn't quite THAT dramatic. Captain Clark was an old fighting sailor and he kept steam up at all times and to hell with conserving coal. Here's an article that gives a little more detail than Wikipedia ...

http://warfarehistorynetwork.com/dai...-american-war/


and here:

http://www.navy.mil/navydata/ships/b...n/bb3-ore.html
jn

[Dick Hosmer]

Thanks, Jon - I suspected as much. The little book from years ago, "McKinley's Bulldog", makes (IIRC) it sound as if the first they'd seen of her was roaring past in full chase of the Spanish escapees.

[Fred]

In our house, which was built in 1905, we've a window in what used to be the front door that has its original etched glass pane of the USS Olympia. There was a turn of the century company in Omaha that used to make these types of windows. There couldn't be many of these still around. Sorry the photo is on its side. This forum won't allow me to post Verticle oriented photos.

IMG_1062.jpg

[Ned Butts]

Very interesting

[Fred]

Another of these was found years ago around the Omaha area I think it was. The owner had been told that it could've been originally from the USS Olympia. Of course the owner learned it wasn't and so was quite disappointed.
Hell, they're rare today because after more than a century, almost all of them have been destroyed. Abandoned in old farm and ranch homes where they were destroyed by the elements or shattered by children throwing rocks, and only some very few were salvaged...maybe.

[Fred]

Now the window pane, still in its original door and entranceway, is at the entrance to our Library, which used to be the original front room.

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[leftyo]

ive seen one or two of them windows over the years, and imo are a very neat piece to have.

[butlersrangers]

When I was 11 or 12, I built a Revell plastic model of the U.S.S. Olympia. It gave me a tremendous appetite for the era.

About a year later, my family went to Philadelphia to attend a wedding. We toured Independence Hall, the Betsy Ross home, and other historic spots, but, the highlight of the day was going onboard the "Olympia"..... It was right there!

IIRC - The Revell instructions had an order form to send a $1.00 to a preservation society and get a medallion made from one of the Olympia's propellers. These do appear from time to time on ebay. (I wish I had sent a dollar in 1960)!

It should also be noted, the Olympia played a role in the 1919 'North Russia Campaign'. A 'Landing Party' from the Olympia, that was sent far inland to secure a strategic objective, had to fight their way out of an encirclement of Bolsheviks.

Olympia Model.jpgOlympia2.jpgOlympia1.jpgolympia crew2.jpgolympia crew1.jpg

[butlersrangers]

I love the look of relief and the Mosin-Nagant rifles.

p.s. Those Olympia Window Panes are awesome!