The independence seaport museum will make repairs to the hull of the cruiser, olympia- the oldest remaining steel ship afloat

The Independence Seaport Museum was awarded a $108,724 project grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the Save America's Treasures program to restore the hull of the cruiser Olympia. Using surface piercing and cofferdam technology, the museum will clean, scale to bare metal, and apply protective epoxy and paint to a section of the historic warship's hull that has suffered extensive oxidation and deterioration caused by abrasion. The conservation project aims to secure the watertight integrity of the vessel to enable continued public programming at the museum located at William Penn Annex East in Pennsylvania. The work will be completed between December 2022 and February 2024 in alignment with the grant's project period.

Informed by previous restoration efforts and remediation work to the vessel, the museum curator and staff will coordinate a condition assessment of the historic warship and oversee restoration efforts. The conservation project focuses on restoring a section of the hull that has suffered extensive oxidation and deterioration caused by abrasion. Using surface piercing and cofferdam technology, the section of the hull identified as the area of greatest need for restoration will be cleaned, scaled to bare metal, and coated with protective epoxy and paint. Repairs to the vessel will enable the museum to secure the watertight integrity of the vessel for continued public programming.