...asked The Thomas yesterday.
A fair enough question, and one that presents the opportunity for a Whatziss. Or, rather, a Whereziss.
Of course, in order to guess the Whatziss / Whereziss precisely, I'll have to give you some context. You guys know that I *always* give you context.
Unlike John, who gives you cat hairs for scale, but no context.
Behold -- context! (Click to enlighten, then click again to enlargify).
I make this stuff so easy, sometimes I hate myself...
...not.
A fair enough question, and one that presents the opportunity for a Whatziss. Or, rather, a Whereziss.
Of course, in order to guess the Whatziss / Whereziss precisely, I'll have to give you some context. You guys know that I *always* give you context.
Unlike John, who gives you cat hairs for scale, but no context.
Behold -- context! (Click to enlighten, then click again to enlargify).
I make this stuff so easy, sometimes I hate myself...
...not.
The Seaport Museum was closed, btw. Olympia, Benuna, and Moshulu are outdoor ehibits, and they were there long before the Port Authority built the Museum. .
Definitely a time of Iron Ships and Iron Men....California Dept of Corrections has nothing on the Dept of Defense, when it comes to housing the inmates, er, enlisted.
And here I was hoping that I might finally be getting my hands on those wings....
0>:~}
About the Olympia, as bad as things may sound, she better off than her sister ship the USS Maine.
Do we really need to preserve USS Massachusetts in Fall RIver, MA, USS North Carolina in Wilmington, NC, and USS Alabama in Mobile, AL? I would sacrifice any one (or even all three) to keep USS Olympia.
The problem is that while all of these historic ships are "owned" by the Navy, the upkeep and museum and educational activities depends on a usually cash starved local group that has sold "their" particular ship for reasons that appeal to their donors and local volunteers. Therefore it is not an easy "either - or" situation where you can just swap one ship for another.
Perhaps as the symbol of the struggle that liberated the Philippines from Spanish oppression, the Olympia's needs could be met by some pesos from a grateful Philippine government. Yeah, fat chance of that happening. Plan B- get friends in Congress to deduct the needed funds from planned foreign aid for the the Philippines next year and divert it to USS Olympia. Plan C- prayerful reflection and wishing that some benefactor with deep pockets and a sense of history will write a check. Failing that, she may well und up as scrap metal or an artificial reef.
If you want to see a pre-Dreadnaught iron/steel naval ship, this is one of the few left in the world. Better visit while you can.
Every ship I served on has been scrapped, but a few deserve preservatin and Olympia is one of them.
There is a small cadre of volunteer history enthusiasts who have done enormous good keeping Olympia open and they should be praised and thanked!
:) ML
JTGs usage refers to... the physical condition, i.e., state, of Olympia...
C'mon, the I-435 ring road about Kansas City is only 30 miles shorter than the entire New Jersey Turnpike...