The Marine Guard aboard OLYMPIA in 1921.
OLYMPIA is outfitted with a Marine guard contingent under command by Captain Graves B. Erskine. When OLYMPIA retrieved the body of the Unknown Soldier on October 25th, 1921, Erskine’s Marine Guard was given the honor and responsibility of guarding the casket, which was lashed heavily to the top deck. Riding through rough weather in the wake of a hurricane, the Guard reportedly lashed themselves to the casket to ensure its protection.Later in life, Erskine spoke about his journey on OLYMPIA: “We lashed this fellow [The Unknown Soldier] down with everything that we could tie on him; we had some very rough weather coming home, and there were times when we thought we might not make it home. …. It was so bad for several days that we couldn’t eat at the table. You just sat down with sandwiches and coffee, and you’d hold on to something with one hand and grabbed your sandwich with the other. In the wardroom we had at least four inches of water most of the time. The chaplain and captain got together and he held a special service, praying to God that the ship wouldn’t sink.”