All that remains of the OLYMPIA's six original torpedo tubes can seen in the forward torpedo room. Originally she had a torpedo tube forward, one aft, and two to port and two to starboard. However, the torpedo system used during the Spanish American War was highly ineffective, with a range of less than 1000 yards, and limited aiming ability. As a result, the torpedo tubes and their mechanisms were removed in the refit of the vessel completed in 1902.
In the forward torpedo room, the remains of the forward tube can be seen. This tube can also be seen from the exterior, as a round protrusion on OLYMPIA's bow.
It was in one of these torpedo rooms where the OLYMPIA's ship newspaper, the Bounding Billow, was produced for the reading pleasure of the ship's crew. The image below is a drawing of the printer's case laid out over the torpedo apparatus.
