Seen here is a photograph of the Crew of the U.S.S. Olympia. Built in San Francisco and commissioned in 1895, the U.S.S. Olympia is best known as Admiral Dewey’s flagship at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War. The U.S.S. 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. The National Archives at Philadelphia holds certain records related to the Olympia among Philadelphia Naval Shipyard records, including information about repairs to this vessel, secondary sources of her service, and some of the efforts to preserve her. This image, along with other records related to Olympia, are available through our online catalog: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/279177
Currently, the Olympia is in the custody of the Independence Seaport Museum and docked on Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia. In addition to the Olympia herself, the Independence Seaport Museum also has related collections at their J. Welles Henderson Archives and Library, which you can learn more about here: http://www.phillyseaport.org/archives-library and http://www.phillyseaport.org/olympia.
Want to learn more about our holdings related to World War I and more? Check out our Guide to World War One holdings: https://www.archives.gov/philadelphia/finding-aids/wwi-guide. You can also check out our online catalog (www.catalog.archives.gov) and make an appointment to view our holdings at the National Archives at Philadelphia by calling (215) 305-2044 or emailing [email protected].
