It's hard to find a stranger museum combination, than a 19th century armored cruiser and a WWII submarine. But despite their dissimilarity, both exhibits in Philadelphia are interesting examples of shipbuilding of their eras.
The armored cruiser Olympia is a true symbol of the era of imperialism in US history, which began with the Spanish-American War of 1898. This ship was the flagship of Commodore Dewey in the battle at Manila Bay on May 1, 1898, when the US squadron defeated the Spanish squadron. Although the American squadron was noticeably superior to its opponents, the first victory of the US Navy over a European navy since the Anglo-American War of 1812-1815 led the public into ecstasy. Even the usual order given by Commander Dewey to the commanding officer of the ship: «You may fire when you are ready, Gridley» became a catch phrase. The city of Olympia in Washington, after which the cruiser was named, even ordered a bronze bas-relief with these words, which was installed on the bow turret of the Olympia's main caliber.
Olympia was the first US attempt to create a cruiser not for raids against enemy commerce, but for the participation in naval battles along with battleships. Despite this, the ship had no armored belt — according to the then trends, it was considered unnecessary. Her protection was limited to the armored deck. Above the armored deck, the conning tower, barbets of the gun turrets and gun shields had armor.
The ship’s armament consisted of four 8-inch (203-mm) guns in two towers at the bow and stern, ten 5-inch (127-mm) guns in the central part of the ship, as well as twenty small guns and six 17.7-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes.
Despite the average displacement (slightly less than 6,700 tons), the cruiser could carry a good supply of coal, which provided her with a cruising range of up to 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km). The speed was also good for that time, reaching 21.7 knots.
The Olympia was laid down in 1891 and commissioned in 1895. The cruiser soon became part of the US Navy Asiatic Squadron and served in Asian waters for many years. After the outbreak of war with Spain in 1898, it was the ships of the Asiatic Squadron that set off to capture the Philippines, which belonged to the new enemy. On May 1, 1898, an American squadron, whose flagship was the Olympia, entered Manila Bay, where a Spanish squadron was stationed under the cover of coastal batteries. American ships outnumbered the enemy both in firepower and in level of training of crews. The battle quickly turned into an execution, as a result of which the Spanish squadron was destroyed. The only loss in the American squadron was due to a heart attack, not from enemy fire. This victory gave the United States control of the Philippines, which became an American colony after the war. This victory meant much more in terms of propaganda: the US society, full of imperialist ambitions, greeted it with enthusiasm.
In the spring of 1903, the cruiser participated in the American intervention in Honduras, from 1906 to 1909 she served as a training ship for cadets of the US Naval Academy. In 1917, he patrolled the Atlantic coast of the United States, which had just entered the First World War, and in June 1918 he participated in the landing of the Entente forces in Murmansk and Arkhangelsk.
In 1922, the Olympia was withdrawn from the service, but she not sold for scrap. I was decided to keep her as a museum ship. However, she became a museum ship only in 1957. For all the work to restore the cruiser into original state, 8-inch guns and their turrets (removed in 1917) could not be restored, so they were replaced with metal models.
As a museum, the famous Olympia enjoyed a well-deserved popularity, but there was still not enough money for repairs. The growing debts of the ship-museum led to the transfer of the ship to the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia in 1996. The Independence Seaport is the brainchild of collector Joseph Welles Henderson, who opened a maritime museum in Philadelphia in 1961, initially consisting only of his personal collection. Over time, the museum developed successfully and by the mid-90s was able to build its own building near the center of Philadelphia on the banks of the Delaware River.
However, even the Independence Seaport could not raise enough funds for major repairs, and the condition of the ship deteriorated every year. In 2010, the museum decided to get rid of the Olympia by scuttling her as an artificial reef or simply selling ship for scrap, but an active public campaign helped to collect substantial donations, that saved the ship. A number of urgent repairs and restorations were carried out.
After more than a century, few items, that remember 1898, have survived aboard the Olympia, but the museum tried to restore the original appearance of the ship as much as possible, not only from the outside, but also from the inside. Restoration work still continues. Note, that some of the compartments were restored to the 1898 condition, while some — to the World War I condition.
A regular ticket allows you to inspect most of the ship — from the battery deck upwards. Not all of the lower compartments are accessible and those accessible can only be viewed as part of the tour. However, given the risk of traumas on the steep ladders and narrow passages in the lower part of the ship, such restriction is not surprising.
Unlike her famous neighbor, the Bekuna submarine can’t boast a remarkable career. She belongs to the Balao class, whose representatives, together with the submarines of the Gato and Tench classes, formed the backbone of the US Navy submarine forces in World War II. Bekuna entered service in May 1944 and did not win any special laurels: by the end of the war, she had only two small Japanese tankers sunk on her combat score.
Since 1949, the Bekuna’s career has been closely associated with the US Navy training center for the submariners, located in New London, Connecticut. Many US submariners began their careers on board of this boat. In 1950-1951, the submarine underwent a major modernization under the GUPPY program, the name of which is an abbreviation for the “Greater Underwater Propulsion Power Program”. As the name suggests, the main goal of this program was to improve the performance of submarines when moving underwater. The boats received a new bow and deckhouse, new batteries, new engines, snorkels for underwater diesel engines and other improvements.
There was not enough money for the complete modernization of all available submarines under the GUPPY-1/2 program, so less expensive versions of the improvements had to be developed. Bekuna underwent modernization under the GUPPY-1A program, which was distinguished by the installation of less powerful, but cheaper and more durable batteries, as well as a reduced amount of modifications to the hull. However, the boat still has changed a lot. The old deckhouse with bridges and guns disappeared and a new deckhouse with smooth lines was installed instead. New hull lines were optimized for movement under water. Combined with more powerful batteries, these measures more than doubled the boat’s underwater speed. The number of protruding parts on the hull was reduced, which made submarine less visible for the underwater detection systems. The snorkel provided air for the submarine’s diesel engines underwater, which made it possible to recharge the batteries without rising to the surface.
Bekuna never had a chance to check the quality of this modernization in battle. With the exception of two trips to the Mediterranean and one to Scotland, the submarine continued to serve at the training center in New London. In 1969, the submarine was moved to the reserve, and in 1973 she was removed from the service. Usually this was followed by a sale for scrapping, but the Bekuna was treated differently: on June 21, 1976, she was sent to Philadelphia as a museum ship. In 1996, the submarine was transferred to the exposition of the Independence Seaport Museum.
Inside the submarine they try to maintain the impression, that her crew had just disembarked. Unfortunately, the small size of the submarine did not allow placing a full-fledged exposition inside — and the history of training personnel for the submarine fleet is worth a whole museum — but they tried to compensate for this by using an audio guide. However, even just a hike through the compartments allows you to feel the atmosphere in which the submariners served.
Speaking about the historic ships in Philadelphia, it is necessary to mention the largest remaining original windjammer, the Moshulu, which is located next to the Olympia and the Bekuna. This four-masted steel barque, built in 1904, is still afloat and serves as a restaurant.
Museum address: 211 S. Columbus Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19106. Now museum is closed due to COVID. But when it was open, it was from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm every day from March 20 to the end of September. From October 1 to January 6, it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and from Wednesday to Friday, it is open from 10:00 to 15:00. From January 7 to March 19, the museum is open only on Saturdays and Sundays. Also closed on Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas. The cost of a regular entrance ticket is $ 18, for $ 10 you can visit only the museum or only ships. Museum website: https://www.phillyseaport.org/
