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History of the Atlantic Cable & Undersea Communications
from the first submarine cable of 1850 to the worldwide fiber optic network

CS Robert C. Clowry
by Bill Glover

CS ROBERT C. CLOWRY

Built in 1910 by A.C. Brown and Sons, New York.

Length 132.3 ft.  Breadth 33.3 ft.  Depth 15.1 ft.  Gross tonnage 532.

Built for the Western Union Telegraph Company for cable repair in the shallow waters off the east coast of America. One tank 17 ft 9 ins by 11 ft 6 ins was fitted along with a single bow sheave. Cable could also be stored on a drum mounted vertically on the deck, this was used as a capstan when picking up cable.

Sold in 1924 and used by its new owner for bootlegging. As the name Western Union was still painted on the superstructure and the new owner retained the vessel’s original name, Western Union found itself accused of illicit activities.
Cableships Index Page

Last revised: 12 March, 2013

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