Picture of the Crew of the U.S.S. Olympia
The crew of the U.S.S. Olympia (1919)The OLYMPIA is the last survivor of the Spanish American War fleets and served as the Flagship of Admiral Dewey at the Battle of Manila Bay. She is currently berthed at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia. OLYMPIA was built in San Francisco and commissioned in 1895. After her Spanish American War service, the OLYMPIA also served as a training ship for midshipman from the U.S. Naval Academy and as Flagship of U.S. Naval Forces Eastern Mediterranean during World War I. In 1921, the body of the Unknown Soldier was received aboard the OLYMPIA at LeHavre, France, with full military honors for return to the United States and its final resting place in Arlington Cemetery. This was the OLYMPIA's last mission. For many years, she remained in the reserve basin of the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, but in 1957 the Cruiser OLYMPIA Association took official custody of the vessel. Repairs to this remarkable vessel, secondary source descriptions of her service, and efforts to preserve her are documented in records of the now-defunct Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.
Photograph from the National Archives and Records Administration.
