As we’ve previously reported, SIG’s Modular Handgun System program with the Army led to a short run of ceremonial handguns for the Sentinels over the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. While the elite Sentinels carry an Army-issue M14, the NCO of the guard carries a sidearm to allow them to properly inspect the Sentinel’s rifle, a post that has been manned for over a century.
M17 MHS Tomb SIG (Photo: Sig)
SIG is now marketing a more toned-down salute to that gun, the P320-M17 Ceremonial. It uses a distinctive high-polish AXG all-metal grip module fitted with custom Hogue walnut grip panels. With a matching high-polish optics-ready (DPP footprint) slide that includes front and rear day/night sights, it is chambered in 9mm and uses a 4.7-inch carbon steel barrel.
Other features include an M1913 accessory rail, and both a 17+1 round flush-fit magazine and a 21+1 extended magazine. (Photo: SIG)
Of note, the model is night and day different from the General Officer’s model M18 as supplied to the Army, although I would expect that the new $2K Ceremonial M17 will be a hit for retirement ceremonies among the top brass.
The mortal remains of that initial Soldier, whose identity was only “Known but to God,” was selected from unknown Americans who gave up their lives in France during the Great War. Over 38,000 Americans were buried in French soil at military cemeteries in the Meuse-Argonne, St. Mihiel, Somme, and Aisne-Marne regions. One set of unidentified remains were selected from each cemetery for review.
From those four sets of identical flag-draped caskets, a decorated GI who had served in the conflict and had been twice wounded, Sgt. Edward F. Younger, selected one to become the Unknown Soldier by resting a bouquet of white roses on its cover. The Unknown was then taken to the port of Le Harve under a ceremonial escort provided by French and American troops and attended by thousands of locals along the way.
André Maginot, the French Minister of Pensions, presented the French Legion of Honor– the country’s highest order of merit– to the Unknown Soldier.
French Minister of Pensions M. Maginot pinning the Cross of Legion of Honor upon the casket.in Le Havre, France, October 25, 1921. Maginot was a Great War veteran himself, who as a sergeant had both of his legs shattered in the conflict. (Bibliotheque nationale de France)
The casket was carried aboard Dewey’s old flagship, the armored cruiser USS Olympia (C-6; CA-15; CL-15; IX-40) on 25 October by Sailors and Marines while the warship’s band played both the American and French national anthems as well as Chopin’s “Funeral March.”
Unknown Soldier’s body going aboard USS Olympia, Le Havre, France, October 25, 1921. The original image is from the collections of the Marine Corps, #521763.
Installed on one of the cruiser’s topside hatches, the Unknown was guarded by Marines and Sailors for the voyage across the Atlantic to the Washington Navy Yard, where Olympia arrived on 9 November.
Casket of the Unknown Soldier in its transporting case on the after end of the superstructure of USS Olympia. (Original image is from the collections of the Marine Corps, #521778.)
USS Olympia (CL-15, originally Cruiser # 6) Arriving at the Washington Navy Yard, D.C., with the remains of the Unknown Soldier, 9 November 1921. She had transported the remains from France. Among the destroyers in the background, immediately beyond Olympia’s bow, are: USS Barney (DD-149) and USS Blakeley (DD-150). Courtesy of Edward Page, 1979. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph. Catalog #: NH 89731
A detail of Marines and sailors lift the body of the unknown soldier as the funeral party disembarks USS Olympia (CL-15) at Washington, DC after its trip from Le Harve, France. (Original image is from the collections of the Marine Corps, #521811)
There, the remains were transferred to the escort of the Army.
After laying in state at the Capitol Rotunda for two days and being visited by 90,000 people, the casket was transported to Arlington on Armistice Day, celebrating the end of the Great War that had occurred three years prior on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.
The procession from the Capitol to Arlington included several military units to include those from nine allied nations as well as nurses who served in France, while Gen. John Persing, who commanded the American forces in Europe during the war, walked behind the horse-drawn funeral caisson.
Honors rendered that day included the presentation of the Medal of Honor by President Harding. Four military chaplains (to include a rabbi) participated in the funeral service. A national two-minute silence augmented the thousands in attendance. Flowers and wreaths were massed while salutes were fired. Pershing deposited some soil from France into the tomb. The chief of the Crow Nation rested his coup stick across the tomb as a tribute to the fallen and presented his war bonnet.
Today, Armistice Day is known as Veterans Day and the Tomb has had other Unknowns interred to include the World War II and Korean War Unknowns in 1958 and 1984, respectively. Guarded originally by details from nearby Fort Myer and, since 1948, by an elite group of Sentinels provided by the 3rd Infantry Regiment “The Old Guard,” the Tomb has been reverently secured 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, no matter the weather.
In honoring the 100th anniversary of the interment of the WWI Unknown Soldier, for the first time in a century, the public has been allowed entrance to the normally off-limits Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Plaza this week to place flowers near the memorial.
On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, the public is invited to observe a joint full honors procession, meant to replicate elements of the World War I Unknown Soldier’s 1921 funeral procession. Following this, there will be a combined services flyover of the cemetery and the National Mall in conjunction with the Armed Forces Full Honors Wreath Ceremony to honor the Unknowns and the centennial of the Tomb, set for 11 a.m.
For more information on the Tomb, here is a tour of the display room in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Exhibit at Arlington National Cemetery.
As for Olympia, she lingered on in Naval service, decommissioned in 1922 and preserved as a relic/floating office space at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard until 1957 when she was stricken and transferred to a local non-profit for use as a civilian-run museum ship, a task she continues to perform today.
A lead plaque was installed on the cruiser’s hatch in the 1920s where the Unknown had rested for the trip from France but, sadly, is not on the ship today, being removed when she was decommissioned. However, it is preserved at the NMUSN.
A commemorative plaque, part of the exhibit of the cruiser USS Olympia at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy (NMUSN), hangs on display during a symposium held to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the Unknown Soldier to U.S. soil after WWI. The plaque identifies where the casket containing the remains of the Unknown Soldier was placed aboard the cruiser USS Olympia during the voyage from Le Havre, France to Washington, D.C. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jalen D. Walton)
OLYMPIA’s propellers photographed in a floating drydock in 1904
Via the Independence Seaport Museum: Cruiser OLYMPIA’s two propellers (screws) were 14 feet in diameter and had three blades. The screws, like on most ships, counter-rotated from each other to prevent the ship from straying off course. They were also bent twice in her career!
The Cruiser Olympia Association long ago used one of the screws, which were removed when Olympia passed into use as a museum ship in 1957, for a series of commemorative coins that helped to fund the group’s operations. The 32mm bronze coins were issued for the 60th anniversary of the battle in 1958, although the Museum still had a number left in their gift shop when I visited in 2013.
Via the Independence Seaport Museum in Philly, where Dewey’s flagship Olympia and the old Balao-class diesel boat USS Becuna have been on display for generations:
“The Admiral/Captain’s stateroom aboard cruiser Olympia is paneled with American chestnut, which is now considered ‘functionally extinct’ according to The American Chestnut Foundation due to disease in that particular species.”
Olympia’s Admiral’s and Captain’s quarters today
Olympia’s Admiral’s stateroom in 1899
Olympia’s Admiral’s stateroom in 1899, looking aft
Olympia’s Captain’s stateroom in 1902
Of note, Olympia’s 125th birthday is this year, so if you are the City of Brotherly Love, swing on by and salute the old girl.
A colorized image of the Unknown Soldier’s casket being carried off of OLYMPIA, which is featured in the background. Via Independence Seaport Museum. You can see Gen. Blackjack Pershing to the right, commander of the AEF, and an honor guard of Marines in blues.
On this date, November 9th, 1921, cruiser OLYMPIA arrived at the Washington Navy Yard carrying the Unknown Soldier of the first World War, having brought the casket across the stormy Atlantic Ocean from Le Havre, France. It was at this time that the casket was transferred from the hands of the U.S. Navy aboard OLYMPIA to the waiting Army contingent, who would then carry the body to Arlington National Cemetery for interment where he rests at the Tomb of the Unknowns today.
While the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington is a hallowed place, established in 1921 with the Unknown Soldier of the Great War and guarded in all weather 24/7/365 since 1937, it has few tie-ins to the nation’s conflicts before the 20th Century. That is about to change in a small but interesting way.
On 18 October, four specially-made ceremonial Sig Sauer M17s will replace the current M9 Berettas carried by the Tomb Guard Platoon’s NCOs (Sentinels carry the M14, and that is not going to change).
These new sidearms are extremely interesting pieces with a non-railed aluminum grip module rather than the M17 (P320)’s standard polymer frame, a high-polish stainless steel slide, wood grip inserts, a 21-round 9mm magazine, and lots of other features.
(Photo: Sig)
Take a closer look at those grip inserts:
They contain the Distinctive Unit Insignia for the 3rd Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), parent unit of the platoon.
The wood itself? It comes from the decking of the protected cruiser USS Olympia (C-6/CA-15/CL-15/IX-40), the former flagship of Commodore Dewey in the Spanish-American War that later brought home the Unknown Soldier of World War I in 1921.
The final resting place of the parrot mascot of the venerated protected cruiser USS Olympia, Commodore George Dewey’s flagship on that fateful day in 1898 at the Battle of Manila Bay, interned at age 86. The warbird is located at the Michigan War Dog Memorial in Lyon Township
According to legend, he was one of the few (American) casualties of the engagement that destroyed the last Spanish fleet in the Pacific.
USS OLYMPIA (C-6) Sailor with a parrot, which had lost a leg in the Battle of Manila Bay, May 1898. Cyanotype Print. Photographed by George Grantham, 15 Park Row, New York City. See NH 43356A for a halftoned version of this photo copied from Harper’s Weekly, September 30, 1899, p992. Description: Catalog #: NH 43356
Dewey’s parrot outlived the good Commodore (who passed in 1917) but not his ship.
Olympia (C-6/CA-15/CL-15/IX-40), decommissioned for the final time on 9 December 1922 after 27-years of service that included not only the Spanish American War and Great War but the intervention against the Reds in the Russian Civil War. The “Queen of the Pacific,” named after the city in Washington state and constructed in California, was only struck in 1957 and is currently a museum ship in (ironically) Philadelphia at the Independence Seaport on the Delaware.
“Today the crew performed the task of a gunners gang, taking down the traversing gear for our #4 5″/51 broadside gun, which we use for demonstration. The gearing was assessed to be too dirty, slowing the travel of the gun left and right. The gearing was taken apart, cleaned thoroughly, and greased anew”
USS Olympia (C-6) was of course Dewey’s flag at Manila Bay, commissioned 5 February 1895 after her completion in San Francisco.
She carried and used those weapons in training new bluejacket gunners during the war, then in support of the U.S. Expeditionary Forces to Russia during the civil war in that country, and in carrying the Unknown Soldier of WWI back from France.
It’s nice to see, that although she was decommissioned as a warship 9 December 1922 (now some 93-years ago) and has been used as a relic and museum ship since, at least one of these old 5-inch casemate guns is still fit for service.
Dewey’s Olympia hasn’t been out of the water since 1945 and as such is in dire need of repair. Here is a short vid of how that is being accomplished. As noted by a member of the preservation effort in a warship group I am a member of:
Olympia has been in a fresh water port since 1922. Olympia could not have survived this long if it were in a salt water port such as New York or San Francisco. Over the last fifty years Olympia suffered a lot of corrosion from electrolysis rather than just exposure to water. The other factor that has contributed to Olympia’s hull problems is that since Olympia has been constantly moored in the same spot since 1976, the marina has silted up and so at present Olympia floats for about 70 percent for the day at high tide and is aground for 30 percent of the day at low tide. So, approximately eighteen inches around the ship’s waterline has grown thin from exposure to oxygen and then water,
Sound’s bleak right? Not really. Bottom line is that Olympia’s hull needs work to ensure that last for another 50+ years however it definitely repairable and is not too far deteriorated. Drydocking will happen soon however I’m not at liberty to give any specific details.
The Mare Island Historic Park Foundation announces submission of a Business Plan Phase IIA application to acquire a Historic Ship from the Spanish American War, the USS OLYMPIA
Vallejo, California/Tuesday April 24, 2012
Today the Mare Island Historic Park Foundation (MIHPF) submitted a Phase IIA Application to acquire the USS OLYMPIA for display in Dry-Dock #1 at Mare Island. A written response from the ship owners on the acceptability of this submittal is due to the MIHPF on July 1, 2012. The OLYMPIA is the oldest surviving steel hulled warship in the world most famous for her role as Admiral Dewey’s flagship in decimating the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay at the outbreak of the Spanish American War in 1898. Submission of a Phase IIA Application is the second step in a four step process for acquisition of the ship. The four step process was developed by Independence Seaport Museum (ISM), the Navy and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission each of which have a legal interest in the ship.
Kenneth Zadwick, the president of the MIHPF, commented that: “We are excited that our Phase IIA application demonstrates that we can provide a safe and protective location for the OLYMPIA while generating sufficient revenue to address expenses associated with displaying and operating her. Now we embark on the “make or break” part of our effort as we reach out to our fellow Americans and, in particular, those who have benefitted from our American story to raise the funds required to capitalize the acquisition. We trust that the fact that the OLYMPIA is not just some monument created to commemorate a great event, but that she is the actual ship from which American sailors fought at peril and through their heroic actions launched our nation into our role as a world power, will resonate with those who appreciate the importance of preserving and displaying for all to see such a unique and important part of our shared heritage.”
The display of a historic ship as a monument in Mare Island’s Dry-Dock #1 has long been a goal of the MIHPF. Acquisition of the OLYMPIA remains the focus to fulfill this goal. The OLYMPIA has a historical connection to the San Francisco Bay Area as she was built here and she operated from Mare Island prior to her dispatch to the Asiatic Station.” It will require $9M to tow her to the west coast and conduct site preparations at Mare Island in Vallejo California.
The MIHPF is a non-profit public benefit corporation within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. MIHPF was founded in 1995, and operates a 50,000 sq. ft Museum, and leases and maintains three major historical properties; two Mansions on Officer’s Row, and St. Peter’s Chapel with the most Tiffany windows in the West on the former naval shipyard in Vallejo, California.
Contact:
Dennis Kelly
OLYMPIA Project Manager, Mare Island Historic Park Foundation
