I believe the History Channel ran a series a couple of months ago highlighting historic ships that were in serious danger of being slowly lost to the elements through benign neglect or lack of funding. The U.S.S. Olympia was featured on one of those episodes. To the untrained eye, she looks fairly presentable, but in reality, she's in desperate need of a major overhaul. They were talking in the neighborhood of $15 million. <p>Here in the city of brotherly love, the mayor was up until a few months ago, pushing for a $1.5 billion stadium deal to benefit the already wealthy team owners. Nevermind the fact that many of Philly's historic properties (including Valley Forge battlefield, also featured on the history channel as one of the top 11 most endangered sites in the country) and much of the infrastructure is crumbling and rusting away. Tack on another $1.5 billion that the local transit authority (SEPTA) will waste on building a 44 mile dedicated right-of-way light rail system from Philadelphia to Reading (the longest such project attempted in the U.S.) Norfolk Southern's (ex-Reading) tracks are already in place. But that won't stop SEPTA from doing the wise and prudent thing and use conventional diesel commuter trainsets. <p>I think they've flunked the reality test.<p>Anyway, here's a good link for the S.S. United States: www.ss-united-states.com. I hope we can save this one, she's a real beauty.<p>Mike Shirk<br>



mshirk@DELETEix.netcom.com

I appreciate Bob's posting that maritime link on the Board as I have already added it as a favorite.<p>I was on USS Olympia 18 months ago, and she is indeed a basket case unless something has been done to her in the intervening months.<p>I am a rail, aviation and maritime history buff, and I intend to do a brief on aviation links in the near future.<br>



kevingillespie@usa.net

Let's not forget that this is RYPN, and other interest areas deserve their websites...<br>



frankr@ieee.org

I just learned that the ex-PRR great lakes steamer formally named the "JUNIATA" and currently bearthed within a stone's throw of AMTRAK's Hammond-Whiting Station has been recently vandalized.<p>The GreaT Lakes car ferry the Viking is tied up in Erie PA still in respectable shape as is the Detroit car ferry Lansdowne with two MILW RD obs on deck.<br>



blevin@engr.psu.edu

Just for grins, were any of the fleet of NYC steam tugs preserved complete with their up and down engines?<p>Dave<br>



lathro19@idt.net

There's a tug painted up for the NYC displayed on dry land in Buzzard's Bay, Massachusetts, across the road from the west side of the Cape Cod Canal.<p>I didn't have much of a chance to take a look at it when I was through there a few weeks ago, so I can't say whether it's the real thing, but my first impression was that it _looked_ authentic.<p>Not being NYC country, it struck me as a little out of place.<p>-fm<br><br>