Philip R. Clarke

Click here for other pages featuring the Philip R. Clarke

The Philip R. Clarke was built for the Pittsburgh Steamship Company in 1952 by the American Shipbuilding Co. at Lorain, Ohio. She has 23 hatches on deck that open into 7 cargo holds. That allows the Clarke to carry up to 25,300 tons of cargo. Along with her sister ships, the Arthur M. Anderson and Cason J. Callaway, she was lengthened by 120 feet in 1974. That put each of them at their current length of 767 feet. A bow-thruster was added in 1966 and a stern-thruster was installed in 1988. Each of these devices allows the Clarke greater side-to-side maneuverability while navigating in tight harbor conditions and narrow rivers. The major feature observable on her deck is a 262 foot self unloader, installed in 1982. That allows the boat to discharge her own cargo without using equipment on shore. The Clarke is owned and operated by USS Great Lakes Fleet, Inc. The 2012-13 shipping season saw her visit the port of Duluth-Superior 19 times. Picture above taken Monday, December 27, 2010. Below, the Clarke departs Duluth after discharging limestone she loaded in Calcite, Michigan at Hallett #5. Before departing, she loaded iron ore pellets at the CN dock in West Duluth.