The u. s. navy ship olympia played a major role in two wars: the spanish-american war in 1898 and world war i,
1914-1918. the ship was placed into reserve in the delaware river. years later, the historic 5,500-ton (5,000-
metric-ton) ship became part of a private philadelphia museum. the ship should have been docked every 20
years for upkeep. instead, it has been slowly falling apart in the water. the olympia's waterline is marked with
dozens of patches. sections of the lower hull are so rusted that sunlight shines through. some groups want to
preserve the ship. repairs, however, will be expensive. they need to raise $10 million to dig out the marina, tow
the ship to dry dock, and restore it olympia has been