After seeing the very large battleship New Jersey, our next ship to visit was the USS Olympia. The Olympia is a protected cruiser of the pre-dreadnaught era. She is right on the dock with easy access onsite. You can get both directed and personally directed tours. We spent about two hours on a self directed tour and did not miss anything.
The ship is painted a configured to mostly match her appearance during the Spanish American War. She took part in the fighting in the pacific. Probably one of her most famous cruises was taking the remains of the unknown soldier from France to the US. If you are into boats, this is a must see, as she is the oldest armored ship in existence.
You can pretty much see the entire ship (the bow and lower storage areas are closed) and get a feel of what it must have been like to be packed like a sardine on an old ship at the turn of the century (minus all the coal dust you would have to deal with). I have had this visit on my bucket list for a long time and it was a real treat.
- Manteuffel