USS Olympia

Ira Wesley Kitmacher

USS Olympia was commissioned in February 1895 and was in service until 1922. She was named for our city of Olympia, Washington, and built during a period when the United States Navy was modernizing its fleet with steel-hulled ships. She was the largest ship ever built on the U.S. West Coast. Her nicknames were the “Winged O” and “Queen of the Pacific.”

Olympia is the oldest steel warship still afloat. She gained fame as the flagship of Admiral George Dewey during the Battle of Manila Bay in the Spanish-American War of 1898. The battle began with one of the most famous commands in naval history: Dewey (on the Olympia’s bridge) commanded, “You may fire when you are ready, Gridley,” to Captain Charles Gridley.

The Spanish-American War was triggered by the explosion of the USS Maine (blamed on Spain but which remains a historical debate) and a desire to end Spanish colonial rule in the Americas, leading to the Battle of Manila Bay, a strategic move by the U.S. to destroy Spain's Pacific fleet and seize control of the Philippines.

During World War I, Olympia was stationed along the Pacific Coast and protected shipping from German U-boats. In 1918, she served as a mobile U.S. embassy during the Russian Civil War; her sailors fought Bolshevik troops on land in North Russia, the first U.S. servicemen to battle communist forces. World War I was a global conflict from 1914 to 1918 that reshaped the world and modern warfare, triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, and fueled by a complex web of alliances (including the U.S.) and imperial rivalries.

In October 1921, Olympia was chosen to carry the remains of World War I’s Unknown American soldier from France to the Washington, D.C., Navy Yard. While en route, the ship encountered a hurricane with 30-foot waves. The Marine Honor Guard had to lash themselves and the casket onto the ship to keep from being washed overboard. The soldier was interred at Arlington National Cemetery on Armistice Day, Nov. 11, 1921, where the memorial is located.

Almost immediately after commissioning, in April 1895, Olympia suffered her first casualty when Coxswain John Johnson (“Gunner Johnson”) was killed in an accident involving a 5-inch gun. In September 1903, Olympia suffered an explosion while in dry dock at the Norfolk, Virginia, Navy Yard; two men, Marine Corporal Yerkes and an unidentified seaman, were killed.

Olympia is currently a floating museum, moored in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and managed by the Independence Seaport Museum at Penn’s Landing. It is thought by some to be the second most “haunted” ship in the U.S., after the Queen Mary, which is moored in Long Beach, California. It hosts nighttime tours by Ghost Tour of Philadelphia and has been featured on television programs, such as Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures. Her most famous spirit is that of “Gunner Johnson.”

Over the years, ghost sightings and experiences aboard Olympia contributed to her reputation as haunted. Shadowy figures have been reported, sometimes dressed in Spanish-American War or World War I naval uniforms, pacing the decks or standing silently near the doors. Two of these spirits are said to resemble Admiral Dewey and Gunner Johnson. Disembodied voices, footsteps, and cold spots have been reported in passageways and rooms. Some people have reported feeling being touched by invisible hands. Others have reported the sound of metal clanging.

Museum visitors and volunteers in the late 20th and early 21st centuries have reported seeing items moving on their own, lights flickering for no apparent reason, and apparitions of sailors performing tasks they once did in life, such as polishing brass, standing watch, or checking machinery, as though unaware that the world around them has changed.

If you’re ever in Philadelphia, you may want to tour the naval warship that bears the name of our city!

Ira Wesley Kitmacher is an Olympia-based historian and author, writing ten published history and folklore books, many on the Pacific Northwest (including “Haunted Puget Sound” and “Pacific Northwest Legends and Lore”), one on World War 2, and four upcoming books, including two on Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. His books are available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other booksellers. He is a speaker at various public venues, including upcoming McMenamin’s History Pubs, the Northwest Folklife Festival, and others.  Ira leads tours of Olympia based on his books. He is featured on television, radio, and other media. Ira is a Commissioner on the Thurston County Historic Commission. He is a professor who has taught graduate courses at Georgetown University and other colleges. Ira is a retired senior federal executive and attorney.