A group in Beaufort, SC is bidding on acquiring the Cruiser Olympia.

Beaufort group bids on century-old ship

A Beaufort organization is bidding to become the next home of the ship Commodore George Dewey used as his flagship at the Battle of Manila Bay that gutted the Spanish fleet in 1898, helping cement America’s role as an emerging 20th century global power.

For 90 years, the cruiser Olympia has been a part of the Delaware River waterfront in Philadelphia. But the museum that says the ship no longer fits with its increasingly regional thrust.

“She’s expensive, and she doesn’t connect with our mission,” said Capt. John Gazzola, president of the Independence Seaport Museum. Unless a new steward is found, the 344-foot ship might be scrapped.

Beaufort’s contribution during the war with Spain is little known outside the region. The Navy relied on the Port Royal Sound as one of the largest deepwater harbors on the Atlantic. Nearby Fort Fremont was part of the new line of coastal defenses built during that time.

The Port Royal area also had a strategically available dry dock and a coaling station that became vital to servicing the Atlantic naval fleet. The battleship USS Maine made its last stop for provisions there before heading south to Havana, Cuba, where it exploded at anchor, triggering the fighting.

Richards said the dry dock is still inside the gates of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot on Parris Island, though filled with water and marsh.

His hope is that the mud covering the estimated 400-foot-long dry dock could be cleared out and the Olympia placed in its space.

Five other groups have shown an interest in the Olympia. Locations include Newport, R.I.; the Washington, D.C. area; San Francisco (where the Olympia was built); and Texas. Another group in Philadelphia also is interested, according to published reports.

When it was launched in 1892, many saw the Olympia as state of the art in warfare, straddling the age of sail and steel. Today, it is a National Historic Landmark, among several other listings that set it apart in U.S. maritime history.