The South Carolina Olympia Committee, which is working to bring the USS Olympia from Philadelphia to Port Royal, reports it has requested an extension in the competition to take ownership of the Spanish-American War-era battleship.

The local committee is in the finals of the competition with Mare Island Historic Foundation. Both groups have asked for a six-month extension of the application deadline, from May to November, on the next required application for studies and fundraising, a committee news release said.

The South Carolina committee's Pete Richards says he is not sure when his group will get a ruling on the extension request, but he hopes it comes within a few weeks.