The millions of dollars it would take to refurbish, transport and moor the famous vessel here is out of reach to South Sound maritime buffs.
And no generous benefactor or group of investors has stepped forward from the Olympia area to take on the enormous task.
So it’s time to throw support behind the next-best option on the table.
Six nonprofit groups from around the country have submitted applications to become the caretaker of the world’s oldest steel-hulled warship.
The nonprofits include the Mare Island Historic Park Foundation, which would like to display the ship at a dry dock in Vallejo, Calif.
The Olympia has a historic connection to Mare Island. She was built there in the 1890s and was stationed there prior to being dispatched in the Philippines.
In 1898, she was the flagship of U.S. fleet commanded by Commodore George Dewey, who stood on the bridge of the Olympia and uttered the famous words: “You may fire when ready, Gridley.”
If the USS Olympia found a final resting place on the West Coast at Mare Island, it would be within reasonable traveling distance for South Sound residents who would love to tour the warship. A final decision on the ship’s fate is expected in 2013.
