• There seems to be an uptick in Political comments in recent months. Those of us who are long time members of the site know that Political and Religious content has been banned for years. Nothing has changed. Please leave all political and religious comments out of the forums.

    If you recently joined the forums you were not presented with this restriction in the terms of service. This was due to a conversion error when we went from vBulletin to Xenforo. We have updated our terms of service to reflect these corrections.

    Please note any post refering to a politician will be considered political even if it is intended to be humor. Our experience is these topics have a way of dividing the forums and causing deep resentment among members. It is a poison to the community. We appreciate compliance with the rules.

    The Staff of SOH

  • Server side Maintenance is done. We still have an update to the forum software to run but that one will have to wait for a better time.

US Cruisers 1883-1904

TARPSBird

TARPSBird

Moderator
Staff member
During my work shift at Barnes & Noble on Monday, I noticed this book on the Osprey display rack: US Cruisers 1883-1904 by Lawrence Burr. I know many SOH members are interested in vintage warships as well as planes, so you may want to check it out. The book covers the deterioration of the US Fleet after the Civil War, and its recovery in the late 1880's with the construction of the all-steam battle cruisers. Good photo reproduction and drawings. The interior shots of the USS Olympia are really interesting - almost looks like the old girl could get underway again with some steam plant rehab and a conversion to oil. :) ISBN 9781846032677, $17.95 online from B&N, or check your local bookstore.
 
I visited Olympia a few years ago. It's quite a contrast from today's warships - much roomier in the common spaces, although crew berthing left a lot to be desired back then (hammocks strung from the ceiling at night... :d). The galley reminded me of an old farm kitchen. The overall design really was a reflection of the times, and she really wasn't built for sustained combat. I was sorry they weren't allowing tours of the weather deck due to "safety hazards" but I gathered that she needed a lot of work topside. It's privately owned now and relies solely on donations and museum fees for upkeep. If anyone passes through Philadelphia I highly recommend it. It's down by Penn's Landing, I believe, but I don't remember the name of the museum complex.
 
It's at the Independence Seaport Museum.
http://www.phillyseaport.org
The website has some interesting comparison photos of Olympia's interior spaces, 1900 vs. present day. Everything has been kept at (or restored to) original appearance. Would be a great ship to visit.
 
I love the steelnavy, ships with character I've done a few in fsds for cfs2 but haven't released them including the Oly sorry no screenies right now as there trapped on my old machine, that is in suspended animation till i get a new one.

Oly
Maine
Brooklyn
Oregon





<DL><DD>The gray, gray mists where once she lay — <DD>(Ah but her name is pride!) <DD>She loosed her moorings and bore away <DD>To serve again in a thunderous day — <DD>The Oregon sails with the tide! </DD></DL>
 
Thank You for the ISBN #. Been lookin for some reading and historical study material on the steel naval period.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top