US Navy Admiral. Hero of Spanish American War. Commanded the battleship USS Oregon, in her incredible 68-day dash from her homeport at San Francisco, California, around Cape Horn and up the coast of South America to join Navy squadrons striking against Spain in Cuba and Porto Rico. The epic journey was the main impetus for the building of the Panama Canal. Author of "My Fifty Years in the Navy," published in 1917.
A native of Bradford, Vermont, the same hometown as Admiral George Dewey, young Clark unsuccessfully applied to the United States Military Academy, but obtained an appointment and acceptance to the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, where he graduated to become a passed midshipman in 1863. Clark married Louisa Davis, sister of an Annapolis classmate. He was attached to the sloop Ossipee during the Civil War and at the Battle of Mobile Bay. After the war, he received promotions and positions of increasing rank and responsibility, including Commandant of Midshipmen at the Naval Academy and executive officer of USS Nantic, based in Nagasaki, Japan.
The USS Oregon was the last of four Indiana-class battleships authorized by Congress, and the only one built on the West Coast. Her contract was awarded to the Union Iron Works of San Francisco in November 1890, and she was commissioned on July 25, 1896. The Oregon was the newest man-o’-war afloat and incorporated all the latest naval engineering and armament at as 351 feet in length and 69 feet abeam. Her main battery consisted of four 13-inch guns in double turrets and eight 8-inch guns. The turrets were hydraulically operated, while those on her sister ships were powered by steam.
In addition to her heavy guns, Oregon carried 20 six-pounders, evenly distributed from bow to stern. She also mounted eight one-pounders and six Whitehead torpedo tubes. She displaced 10,000 tons and had a cruising radius of eight thousand miles. An armored belt, 18 inches thick, ran two-thirds the length of her hull at the waterline.
When the Maine incident occurred, Oregon was homeported at San Francisco and captained by Captain Alexander H. McCormick. As war fever built, spurred on by publisher William Randolph Heart and others, McCormick received orders to take his ship to Callao, Peru and await further instructions. Navy Secretary John D. Long theorized that in case of open hostilities, USS Oregon would be in an ideal position to be sent to either the Philippines or the Caribbean.
The battleship was hurriedly coaled and provisioned. The sailing date was scheduled for March 18, but then McCormick fell suddenly ill. The voyage could not be postponed, however; a replacement had to be found—and fast. Clark was then a captain commanding the monitor Monterey at San Diego, when he received a cable from the Navy Department attaching him to immediately take command of Oregon. He arrived at San Francisco on March 17, and at 8 o’clock on the morning of the 19th, the battleship heaved anchor and stood out for Callao through the Golden Gate. Secretary Long strategized that in case of war with Spain, Oregon would be in an ideal position to be sent to either the Philippines or the Caribbean. Oregon carried a crew of 30 officers and 438 men. The battleship rode low in the water—packed with 1,600 tons of coal, 500 tons of ammunition, and enough supplies to last several months. While Oregon steamed south, Navy Secretary Long made his momentous decision. He would send the battleship to join Admiral Sampson’s Atlantic Fleet.
Oregon made trip down the west coast of North and South America, through the perilous Straits of Magellan in gale and snow storms and up the east coast of North and South America in 68 days, a remarkable feat of seamanship under the best of circumstances for the day, and epic considering that during the voyage war was declared, and Spanish ships were hunting for her, with intelligence provided from necessary coaling stops in South American ports. The incredible voyage of Clark and the Oregon was nationally reported in the newspapers while the journey was in progress. He was known forever after as "Clark of the Oregon."
Clark relied on ruses and skillful planning and navigation to avoid confronting Spanish warships and merchantmen searching for his ship. While Oregon was stopped at Callao, Peru, a Spanish speaking port, Clark received a dispatch from the Navy Department warning that the nimble, Spanish torpedo Temerario might be searching for her, Clark reportedly said, “I am ready to sink the Spanish ship—war or no war!”
After meeting up with the two US squadrons at Key West Florida on the morning of May 26, Clark moved his ship to Santiago, Cuba to perform harbor blockade duty. On July 3, the Spanish Fleet attempted to escape the harbor by running the blockade. Oregon was the only US ship that had its engines lit and boilers stoked, so it took off in pursuit. Other ships joined, including Brooklyn and Iowa, and the Spanish fleet was destroyed.
At the conclusion of the Spanish American War, Clark returned to the United States for a lenghty recuperation from the tropical fever he had been fighting since the journey to Key West. He was later attached as Commander, League Island Navy Base, Pennsylvania, in 1899 and later, Governor of the Naval Home, Washington DC. Clark was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1902 and appointed as President, Examination and Retirement Board. He retired in August 1905 at the mandatory retirement age of 62. In later years, Clark and his wife moved from Washington, DC to Long Beach, California where they lived with their daughter Caroline, and son-in-law, then RADM (later ADM) Charles Evans Hughes, commander of the Seventh Division of the Pacific Fleet. Clark's other daughter, Mary was also married to an admiral, Samuel Shelburn Robison. RADM Clark died at the home of his daughter in Long Beach in 1922 at the age of 79, survived by his wife and daughters, and was buried at Arlington.
A native of Bradford, Vermont, the same hometown as Admiral George Dewey, young Clark unsuccessfully applied to the United States Military Academy, but obtained an appointment and acceptance to the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, where he graduated to become a passed midshipman in 1863. Clark married Louisa Davis, sister of an Annapolis classmate. He was attached to the sloop Ossipee during the Civil War and at the Battle of Mobile Bay. After the war, he received promotions and positions of increasing rank and responsibility, including Commandant of Midshipmen at the Naval Academy and executive officer of USS Nantic, based in Nagasaki, Japan.
The USS Oregon was the last of four Indiana-class battleships authorized by Congress, and the only one built on the West Coast. Her contract was awarded to the Union Iron Works of San Francisco in November 1890, and she was commissioned on July 25, 1896. The Oregon was the newest man-o’-war afloat and incorporated all the latest naval engineering and armament at as 351 feet in length and 69 feet abeam. Her main battery consisted of four 13-inch guns in double turrets and eight 8-inch guns. The turrets were hydraulically operated, while those on her sister ships were powered by steam.
In addition to her heavy guns, Oregon carried 20 six-pounders, evenly distributed from bow to stern. She also mounted eight one-pounders and six Whitehead torpedo tubes. She displaced 10,000 tons and had a cruising radius of eight thousand miles. An armored belt, 18 inches thick, ran two-thirds the length of her hull at the waterline.
When the Maine incident occurred, Oregon was homeported at San Francisco and captained by Captain Alexander H. McCormick. As war fever built, spurred on by publisher William Randolph Heart and others, McCormick received orders to take his ship to Callao, Peru and await further instructions. Navy Secretary John D. Long theorized that in case of open hostilities, USS Oregon would be in an ideal position to be sent to either the Philippines or the Caribbean.
The battleship was hurriedly coaled and provisioned. The sailing date was scheduled for March 18, but then McCormick fell suddenly ill. The voyage could not be postponed, however; a replacement had to be found—and fast. Clark was then a captain commanding the monitor Monterey at San Diego, when he received a cable from the Navy Department attaching him to immediately take command of Oregon. He arrived at San Francisco on March 17, and at 8 o’clock on the morning of the 19th, the battleship heaved anchor and stood out for Callao through the Golden Gate. Secretary Long strategized that in case of war with Spain, Oregon would be in an ideal position to be sent to either the Philippines or the Caribbean. Oregon carried a crew of 30 officers and 438 men. The battleship rode low in the water—packed with 1,600 tons of coal, 500 tons of ammunition, and enough supplies to last several months. While Oregon steamed south, Navy Secretary Long made his momentous decision. He would send the battleship to join Admiral Sampson’s Atlantic Fleet.
Oregon made trip down the west coast of North and South America, through the perilous Straits of Magellan in gale and snow storms and up the east coast of North and South America in 68 days, a remarkable feat of seamanship under the best of circumstances for the day, and epic considering that during the voyage war was declared, and Spanish ships were hunting for her, with intelligence provided from necessary coaling stops in South American ports. The incredible voyage of Clark and the Oregon was nationally reported in the newspapers while the journey was in progress. He was known forever after as "Clark of the Oregon."
Clark relied on ruses and skillful planning and navigation to avoid confronting Spanish warships and merchantmen searching for his ship. While Oregon was stopped at Callao, Peru, a Spanish speaking port, Clark received a dispatch from the Navy Department warning that the nimble, Spanish torpedo Temerario might be searching for her, Clark reportedly said, “I am ready to sink the Spanish ship—war or no war!”
After meeting up with the two US squadrons at Key West Florida on the morning of May 26, Clark moved his ship to Santiago, Cuba to perform harbor blockade duty. On July 3, the Spanish Fleet attempted to escape the harbor by running the blockade. Oregon was the only US ship that had its engines lit and boilers stoked, so it took off in pursuit. Other ships joined, including Brooklyn and Iowa, and the Spanish fleet was destroyed.
At the conclusion of the Spanish American War, Clark returned to the United States for a lenghty recuperation from the tropical fever he had been fighting since the journey to Key West. He was later attached as Commander, League Island Navy Base, Pennsylvania, in 1899 and later, Governor of the Naval Home, Washington DC. Clark was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1902 and appointed as President, Examination and Retirement Board. He retired in August 1905 at the mandatory retirement age of 62. In later years, Clark and his wife moved from Washington, DC to Long Beach, California where they lived with their daughter Caroline, and son-in-law, then RADM (later ADM) Charles Evans Hughes, commander of the Seventh Division of the Pacific Fleet. Clark's other daughter, Mary was also married to an admiral, Samuel Shelburn Robison. RADM Clark died at the home of his daughter in Long Beach in 1922 at the age of 79, survived by his wife and daughters, and was buried at Arlington.
US Navy Admiral. Hero of Spanish American War. Commanded the battleship USS Oregon, in her incredible 68-day dash from her homeport at San Francisco, California, around Cape Horn and up the coast of South America to join Navy squadrons striking against Spain in Cuba and Porto Rico. The epic journey was the main impetus for the building of the Panama Canal. Author of "My Fifty Years in the Navy," published in 1917.
A native of Bradford, Vermont, the same hometown as Admiral George Dewey, young Clark unsuccessfully applied to the United States Military Academy, but obtained an appointment and acceptance to the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, where he graduated to become a passed midshipman in 1863. Clark married Louisa Davis, sister of an Annapolis classmate. He was attached to the sloop Ossipee during the Civil War and at the Battle of Mobile Bay. After the war, he received promotions and positions of increasing rank and responsibility, including Commandant of Midshipmen at the Naval Academy and executive officer of USS Nantic, based in Nagasaki, Japan.
The USS Oregon was the last of four Indiana-class battleships authorized by Congress, and the only one built on the West Coast. Her contract was awarded to the Union Iron Works of San Francisco in November 1890, and she was commissioned on July 25, 1896. The Oregon was the newest man-o’-war afloat and incorporated all the latest naval engineering and armament at as 351 feet in length and 69 feet abeam. Her main battery consisted of four 13-inch guns in double turrets and eight 8-inch guns. The turrets were hydraulically operated, while those on her sister ships were powered by steam.
In addition to her heavy guns, Oregon carried 20 six-pounders, evenly distributed from bow to stern. She also mounted eight one-pounders and six Whitehead torpedo tubes. She displaced 10,000 tons and had a cruising radius of eight thousand miles. An armored belt, 18 inches thick, ran two-thirds the length of her hull at the waterline.
When the Maine incident occurred, Oregon was homeported at San Francisco and captained by Captain Alexander H. McCormick. As war fever built, spurred on by publisher William Randolph Heart and others, McCormick received orders to take his ship to Callao, Peru and await further instructions. Navy Secretary John D. Long theorized that in case of open hostilities, USS Oregon would be in an ideal position to be sent to either the Philippines or the Caribbean.
The battleship was hurriedly coaled and provisioned. The sailing date was scheduled for March 18, but then McCormick fell suddenly ill. The voyage could not be postponed, however; a replacement had to be found—and fast. Clark was then a captain commanding the monitor Monterey at San Diego, when he received a cable from the Navy Department attaching him to immediately take command of Oregon. He arrived at San Francisco on March 17, and at 8 o’clock on the morning of the 19th, the battleship heaved anchor and stood out for Callao through the Golden Gate. Secretary Long strategized that in case of war with Spain, Oregon would be in an ideal position to be sent to either the Philippines or the Caribbean. Oregon carried a crew of 30 officers and 438 men. The battleship rode low in the water—packed with 1,600 tons of coal, 500 tons of ammunition, and enough supplies to last several months. While Oregon steamed south, Navy Secretary Long made his momentous decision. He would send the battleship to join Admiral Sampson’s Atlantic Fleet.
Oregon made trip down the west coast of North and South America, through the perilous Straits of Magellan in gale and snow storms and up the east coast of North and South America in 68 days, a remarkable feat of seamanship under the best of circumstances for the day, and epic considering that during the voyage war was declared, and Spanish ships were hunting for her, with intelligence provided from necessary coaling stops in South American ports. The incredible voyage of Clark and the Oregon was nationally reported in the newspapers while the journey was in progress. He was known forever after as "Clark of the Oregon."
Clark relied on ruses and skillful planning and navigation to avoid confronting Spanish warships and merchantmen searching for his ship. While Oregon was stopped at Callao, Peru, a Spanish speaking port, Clark received a dispatch from the Navy Department warning that the nimble, Spanish torpedo Temerario might be searching for her, Clark reportedly said, “I am ready to sink the Spanish ship—war or no war!”
After meeting up with the two US squadrons at Key West Florida on the morning of May 26, Clark moved his ship to Santiago, Cuba to perform harbor blockade duty. On July 3, the Spanish Fleet attempted to escape the harbor by running the blockade. Oregon was the only US ship that had its engines lit and boilers stoked, so it took off in pursuit. Other ships joined, including Brooklyn and Iowa, and the Spanish fleet was destroyed.
At the conclusion of the Spanish American War, Clark returned to the United States for a lenghty recuperation from the tropical fever he had been fighting since the journey to Key West. He was later attached as Commander, League Island Navy Base, Pennsylvania, in 1899 and later, Governor of the Naval Home, Washington DC. Clark was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1902 and appointed as President, Examination and Retirement Board. He retired in August 1905 at the mandatory retirement age of 62. In later years, Clark and his wife moved from Washington, DC to Long Beach, California where they lived with their daughter Caroline, and son-in-law, then RADM (later ADM) Charles Evans Hughes, commander of the Seventh Division of the Pacific Fleet. Clark's other daughter, Mary was also married to an admiral, Samuel Shelburn Robison. RADM Clark died at the home of his daughter in Long Beach in 1922 at the age of 79, survived by his wife and daughters, and was buried at Arlington.
A native of Bradford, Vermont, the same hometown as Admiral George Dewey, young Clark unsuccessfully applied to the United States Military Academy, but obtained an appointment and acceptance to the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, where he graduated to become a passed midshipman in 1863. Clark married Louisa Davis, sister of an Annapolis classmate. He was attached to the sloop Ossipee during the Civil War and at the Battle of Mobile Bay. After the war, he received promotions and positions of increasing rank and responsibility, including Commandant of Midshipmen at the Naval Academy and executive officer of USS Nantic, based in Nagasaki, Japan.
The USS Oregon was the last of four Indiana-class battleships authorized by Congress, and the only one built on the West Coast. Her contract was awarded to the Union Iron Works of San Francisco in November 1890, and she was commissioned on July 25, 1896. The Oregon was the newest man-o’-war afloat and incorporated all the latest naval engineering and armament at as 351 feet in length and 69 feet abeam. Her main battery consisted of four 13-inch guns in double turrets and eight 8-inch guns. The turrets were hydraulically operated, while those on her sister ships were powered by steam.
In addition to her heavy guns, Oregon carried 20 six-pounders, evenly distributed from bow to stern. She also mounted eight one-pounders and six Whitehead torpedo tubes. She displaced 10,000 tons and had a cruising radius of eight thousand miles. An armored belt, 18 inches thick, ran two-thirds the length of her hull at the waterline.
When the Maine incident occurred, Oregon was homeported at San Francisco and captained by Captain Alexander H. McCormick. As war fever built, spurred on by publisher William Randolph Heart and others, McCormick received orders to take his ship to Callao, Peru and await further instructions. Navy Secretary John D. Long theorized that in case of open hostilities, USS Oregon would be in an ideal position to be sent to either the Philippines or the Caribbean.
The battleship was hurriedly coaled and provisioned. The sailing date was scheduled for March 18, but then McCormick fell suddenly ill. The voyage could not be postponed, however; a replacement had to be found—and fast. Clark was then a captain commanding the monitor Monterey at San Diego, when he received a cable from the Navy Department attaching him to immediately take command of Oregon. He arrived at San Francisco on March 17, and at 8 o’clock on the morning of the 19th, the battleship heaved anchor and stood out for Callao through the Golden Gate. Secretary Long strategized that in case of war with Spain, Oregon would be in an ideal position to be sent to either the Philippines or the Caribbean. Oregon carried a crew of 30 officers and 438 men. The battleship rode low in the water—packed with 1,600 tons of coal, 500 tons of ammunition, and enough supplies to last several months. While Oregon steamed south, Navy Secretary Long made his momentous decision. He would send the battleship to join Admiral Sampson’s Atlantic Fleet.
Oregon made trip down the west coast of North and South America, through the perilous Straits of Magellan in gale and snow storms and up the east coast of North and South America in 68 days, a remarkable feat of seamanship under the best of circumstances for the day, and epic considering that during the voyage war was declared, and Spanish ships were hunting for her, with intelligence provided from necessary coaling stops in South American ports. The incredible voyage of Clark and the Oregon was nationally reported in the newspapers while the journey was in progress. He was known forever after as "Clark of the Oregon."
Clark relied on ruses and skillful planning and navigation to avoid confronting Spanish warships and merchantmen searching for his ship. While Oregon was stopped at Callao, Peru, a Spanish speaking port, Clark received a dispatch from the Navy Department warning that the nimble, Spanish torpedo Temerario might be searching for her, Clark reportedly said, “I am ready to sink the Spanish ship—war or no war!”
After meeting up with the two US squadrons at Key West Florida on the morning of May 26, Clark moved his ship to Santiago, Cuba to perform harbor blockade duty. On July 3, the Spanish Fleet attempted to escape the harbor by running the blockade. Oregon was the only US ship that had its engines lit and boilers stoked, so it took off in pursuit. Other ships joined, including Brooklyn and Iowa, and the Spanish fleet was destroyed.
At the conclusion of the Spanish American War, Clark returned to the United States for a lenghty recuperation from the tropical fever he had been fighting since the journey to Key West. He was later attached as Commander, League Island Navy Base, Pennsylvania, in 1899 and later, Governor of the Naval Home, Washington DC. Clark was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1902 and appointed as President, Examination and Retirement Board. He retired in August 1905 at the mandatory retirement age of 62. In later years, Clark and his wife moved from Washington, DC to Long Beach, California where they lived with their daughter Caroline, and son-in-law, then RADM (later ADM) Charles Evans Hughes, commander of the Seventh Division of the Pacific Fleet. Clark's other daughter, Mary was also married to an admiral, Samuel Shelburn Robison. RADM Clark died at the home of his daughter in Long Beach in 1922 at the age of 79, survived by his wife and daughters, and was buried at Arlington.
Bio by: Bill McKern
