ArtFire

Here's the USS Olympia; a 5586-ton protected cruiser built at San Francisco, California. She was commissioned in February 1895. Her initial service was as flagship on the Asiatic Station. In that role, she participated in Philippines area Spanish-American War operations, including the Battle of Manila Bay, and returned to the U.S. in September 1899.

From 1902 to 1906, Olympia was active in the Atlantic, Caribbean and Mediterranean, and then saw occasional service as a Naval Academy training ship into 1909. She was a barracks ship at Charleston, South Carolina, from 1912 to 1916, and recommissioned for sea duty in the latter year. Olympia spent World War I and the early post-war years in the Atlantic, the Russian Arctic and in the Mediterranean area. She was briefly reclassified as CA-15 in 1920, then CL-15 in 1921. In October-November 1921 she brought home the body of the "Great War's" Unknown Soldier.

Decommissioned in December 1922, Olympia was preserved as a relic, being again reclassified IX-40 in 1931. Beginning in 1957 she was modified back to her 1898 configuration and became a museum ship at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she remains today as the sole floating survivor of the U.S. Navy's Spanish-American War fleet.

On the reverse side:

Royal Sovereign was christened by Queen Victoria, attended by her sons the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Duke of Connaught, on 26 February 1891.
She completed trials in May 1892 and was commissioned on 31 May 1892, relieving HMS Camperdown as Flagship, Channel Squadron. From then until 13 August 1892, she served as Flagship, "Red Fleet," in annual mauevers off the coast of Ireland. She reprised her role as Flagship, Red Fleet, from 27 July 1892 to 6 August 1892 in annual maneuvers in the Irish Sea and the Western Approaches.

In June 1895 Royal Sovereign was part of a British naval squadron that attended the opening of the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal in Germany.

During the third week of July 1896, Royal Sovereign took part in annual maneuvers in the Irish Sea and off the southwest coast of England as part of 'Fleet A."

On 7 June 1897, Royal Sovereign paid off and her crew transferred to battleship HMS Mars, which relieved her in the Channel Squadron. The next day, she recommissioned to relieve the battleship HMS Trafalgar in the Mediterranean Sea. Before departing for the Mediterranean, she took part in the Fleet Review for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria at Spithead on 26 June 1897, and from 7 July 1897 to 11 July 1897 took part in annual maneuvers off the coast of Ireland. She finally departed England for the Mediterranean in September 1897.

She was sold for scrap on 7 October 1913
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This gorgeous 7.5" x 10" original antique rotogravure from 1895 showcases the US Protected Cruiser Colombia on one side and theBritish Battleship Colombia on the reverse.

What a fantastic treasure and it would be matted and framed; presented as a meaningful gift for someone who loves old shipsl on your list.

This very cool original antique rotogravure will come to your door packed flat and protected in a rigid mailer delivered First Class Mail by those nice folks at the USPS.

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