All aboard
Despite previous plans to discontinue tours, Philadelphia’s Independence Seaport Museum has announced it will resume tours of the Cruiser Olympia after Nov. 22, to continue through the end of the year.
Tours of the historic landmark ship will be on a limited basis until Dec. 31, after which the Seaport Museum will begin preservation projects on the Olympia and many of its other vessels.
Reporter Lizz Fiedler talked to Independence Seaport Museum President Captain John Gazzola about the history of the ship.
“The Olympia’s a part of our national heritage,” Gazzola said. “She was involved with the battle of Manila Bay. She brought the body of the unknown soldier back from Europe following World War I. She’s a shining example of what our nation was, what it still is, and what it will continue to be.”
Gazzola says repairs to the ship will cost about 10 million dollars…including rebuilding the bottom.
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