Olympia class cruiser
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USS Olympia (C-6) |
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Class overview | |
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Name: | Olympia class cruiser |
Operators: | United States Navy |
Preceded by: | Chicago-class cruiser |
Succeeded by: | Columbia-class cruiser |
Completed: | 1 |
Retired: | 1 |
Preserved: | 1 |
General characteristics | |
Type: | Protected Cruiser (Heavy Cruiser) |
Displacement: | 5,870 tons |
Length: | 344 ft |
Beam: | 53 ft |
Draft: | 21 ft 6 in |
Propulsion: | Triple-expansion 2 Screws 18,000 Horsepower |
Speed: | 22 knots |
Complement: | 33 officers 396 enlisted men OR 17 officers 282 men |
Armament: | 4 - 8-inch guns 10 - 5-inch guns 14 - 6 pounder guns 4 - gatlings |
Armor: | Turrets 3.5 in barbettes 4.5 in Protective deck - flat 2 in slope 4.75 in |
The Olympia class was a class of protected cruiser operated by the United States Navy.
[edit] Class history
The Olympia class was built in a transitional period for warship design and for the US Navy. The Navy was expanding is fleet to move beyond coastal defence onto the world stage. The Olympia was larger and faster than the previous generation of Navy ships, built with a new type of verticle triple expansion steam engine. Yet she retained a vestigal suit of sails for emergency propulsion. She was one of the first navy ships to have electricity, hydraulic powered steering gear and refridgeration. The Olympia class was also designed and constructed entirely inside the United States as per a stipulation by Congress. This was to force advances in United States industrial technology. This lead to the rise of steel shipbuilding inside the United States.
The Olypia has the distinction of being the third oldest preserved United States Navy ship and the only surviving ship of the Spanish-American War.