The USS Olympia is a one-of-a-kind steel warship in Philadelphia fighting what may be its final battle.
The ship returned home to a hero's welcome after a history-changing victory in the Spanish-American War.
Without a major refurbishment to its aging steel hull, the floating museum either will sink at its moorings on the Delaware River, be sold for scrap, or be scuttled for an artificial reef. The Independence Seaport Museum has spent $5.5 million on Olympia since taking stewardship of it in 1996. But it can't afford the $10 million to restore it, or the $10 million for an endowment to care for it in perpetuity.
Several private groups are trying to raise money. The Olympia closes to the public Nov. 22.
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