Captain Charles E. Clark

Description

Captain Charles E. Clark, USN

Captain Charles Edgar Clark (1843–1922), best remembered as the celebrated commander of the battleship USS Oregon (BB-3) during the Spanish–American War. Clark won national fame in 1898 for leading Oregon’s dramatic 14,000-mile voyage from San Francisco, around Cape Horn, to the Caribbean, a feat that captured the imagination of the American public and underscored the need for the future Panama Canal. Shortly after arriving, Clark and Oregon played a decisive role in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba, where Spain’s fleet was destroyed.

Clark’s distinguished career stretched back to the Civil War, where he served aboard USS Ossipee and fought at the Battle of Mobile Bay under Admiral Farragut. Advanced to Rear Admiral in 1902, he later wrote My Fifty Years in the Navy (1917), recording a half-century of service at sea.

Clark in uniform, his image bearing the confidence of a seasoned officer. The reverse bears his period ink signature/identification, further enhancing its historical and collectible value. A desirable photograph of one of the Navy’s most famous captains of the Spanish–American War.

Inventory Number: CDV 106