USS Olympia
This is a depressing story:
The Olympia was a successful museum vessel, at least according to the numbers. More than 100,000 visitors annually paced the same decks where Dewey uttered the immortal fighting words, “You may fire when you are ready, Gridley.”
In 1996, the museum, flush from a six-year $15 million capital campaign, took control of the Olympia. The future looked bright. But now, 14 years later, the nearly broke museum is giving up the distressed vessel, claiming her maintenance poses an insurmountable fiscal challenge.
What has been steadily sinking the ship? Not disinterest. Instead, more modern American vices-greed, corruption, and civic disengagement-may have overpowered this monument to the strong, optimistic America of old.
As the Olympia sat deprived of basic maintenance, the Independence Seaport Museum’s chief, John S. Carter, enjoyed perks far above compensation provided at peer institutions. In 2004, his salary exceeded $350,000, and he lived rent-free in a $1.7 million executive mansion bought, maintained, remodeled, and even furnished with museum funds, according to news reports.
The criminal complaint against Carter claimed that by 2006, the museum had been billed more than $335,000 for work on the director’s Massachusetts home. While Carter charged the museum over $280,000 for personal purchases of jewelry, home electronics, designer clothing, and rare artwork, almost $200,000 dollars in maritime artifacts-including a rare print of Dewey-went missing.
Rather than support the Olympia, Carter defrauded the museum of more than $900,000 dollars in a scheme to restore and resell-for personal gain-several antique pleasure boats.
The museum faltered. Between 1999 and 2005, its endowment went from $48 million to a mere $7.7 million. Admission receipts tumbled by half. And all this time, the final arbiters of fiscal management, the museum board, did nothing.
I need to dig out my slides of the photos I took when we visited the USS Oly in 1971. The Carter sleaze story just makes the whole affair even sadder.
I abhor our wars of choice ( Mexico, Spanish-American, Gulf II,but it’s just crazy that we can’t find enough public money to preserve an artifact like her. (Not that big a fan of the War of 1812 either, but I’m so glad we have the USS Consititution!) Second Stimulus anyone?
The Philadelphia elite, ladies and gentlemen. Let’s give them a big hand.
Its an election year. Congressman want to get elected. Now’s the time to write letters demanding that they save this vessel. They might just be desperate enough to do the right thing….I know its a long shot.
Hey, just another guy cashing in on another war. At least the killing is all done in this one.
See, I can’t get too worked up about this. It’s another example of corporate malfeasance, and I think it actually works better as an object lesson than any lessons I may be able to impart to my kids by going on the actual ship –
“I WOULD take you guys on a trip to see a famous ship involved in a famous battle, but scumbags in the 90s and 2000s stole all the money that was supposed to preserve the ship. And the Very Smart and Important People who were supposed to keep an eye on things let them steal it.
So what did we learn? That’s right : be careful of lying weasel scumbags, or they’ll steal your ship.”
I think that’s probably a better lesson than “Perry sailed into Manila Bay and blasted short brown people so we could make more money.”
jado -you’re an Idiot. John S. Carter…well, let’s see if I cant get my fellow Veterans involved in this. Too bad the greed is so strong in white people. Almost as strong as the STUPIDITY (as ‘jado’ so publicly exemplifies ) !
Seriously, I am in the American Legion, US Army, retired, and would love to get this into a court…first of Public Opinion, then, in the Criminal Court.
What scumbag !
Thank you, Daniel Res Cloud Brown. But, calling Jado a idiot may be insulting to idiots. As for getting your fellow veterans involved (I am VFW and American Legion) a great idea, because like a particular war or conflict this country was built by those that came before us. And remember, FREEDOM IS NOT FREE!!!! It NEVER has been and never will be. You get to sit there and whine and criticize because of brave men and women who came before you and make the ultimate sacrifice for you. As to what we do to John S. Carter we could always keel haul him, how appropriate.
Here we go again! More non-profit bureaucratic pilferage run amok! But, in the end who suffers! Everyone! Then it’s always that same ole, same ole, all or nothing! If they can’t come up with 20 million, she’ll have to be sunk! Sounds familiar! If we can’t raise your taxes we’ll have to fire teachers and cops! When will common sense ever be able to breath again! All along the river side there are both vacant land and defunct dry docks. For “a lot less” money, tow Olympia to one of these, excavate if needed, slide her in and then fill in around her! What’s better? A treasure that is saved or a sinking money pit? I’ll even bet the city owns derelict land on the river that could be converted to a tourist magnet! If those responsible for her can not be trusted, seize the asset!
[...] USS Olympia : Lawyers, Guns & Money this is a prime example of the problem. this kind of conduct is what FREE money fosters. so now we pour an unending supply of public money into the problem so there will be more money to steal batw [...]
Take a look at this site. The NTHP cares only about the preservation of the Olympia, not what group gets it…the opportunity now for a grassroots campaign to get started and collect money directly for the Olympia. Please consider donating AND getting out the word.
http://blog.preservationnation.org/2011/07/18/uss-olympia-remains-afloat-but-repairs-are-needed/
http://www.preservationnation.org/travel-and-sites/sites/northeast-region/the-uss-olympia.html
With luck, down the road some large interests might get involved but publicity is the key….and we have to do it for now. I live in Texas, I am sending out hundreds of emails and snail mail packages to anyone that I think might remotely want to help. It’s a long shot but better than nothing…and yes I have donated to the NTHP Olympia fund as it is the only group that appears to be interested in the CURRENT condition of the Olympia.
Al Sumrall
alsumrall2001@yahoo.com
cheers for such a fantastic site. Where else could someone get that kind of information written in such a perfect way? I have a presentation that I am presently working on, and I have been on the watch out for such information.