The lake itself is called Michigan, which seems a bit unfair to you, doesn’t it? I mean, you’re only 8 years-old, but you can read a map. It looks to you like Wisconsin has about as much a claim to the lake as Michigan does. Lake Wisconsin! That’s what it should be called, not Lake Michigan. But there’s nothing you can do about it, so I guess you’ll just have to chalk it up to another one of life’s mysteries…and one of its many injustices.

But while the lake may be named after another state at least the Clipper is named for your home town: The S.S. Milwaukee Clipper, the Queen of the Great Lakes, one of the most magnificent things you’ve ever seen. And today, on this broiling August Saturday in 1959 you’re going to get the chance to ride it! Mom, Dad, Grandma, you and your brothers. All the way to Muskegon, Michigan and back, a voyage that will take an entire day, and sear itself into your memory for rest of your life.

Always a highlight of family outings to the lakefront, the sight of the Clipper was awe-inspiring. You’ve seen pictures of ocean liners in magazines and books, and to your young eyes the Clipper seemed every bit as gigantic. And when Dad pulled the car into the parking lot at dockside it looked bigger still. Up close, you were convinced that it had to be the biggest ship that ever sailed, but Dad tells you that’s not the case. Nevertheless, he admits that The Clipper is a beauty, and he seems to mean it. You know he doesn’t miss the Navy, but you could always tell when he spoke of it that he missed the sea, and by the smile on his face today you can tell he’s as excited as you are.

Before today, you never knew that The Clipper was primarily a car ferry giving motorists a relaxing and time-saving shortcut to Michigan. So you watch impatiently as the cars are loaded, counting the minutes until the huge ship finally sets sail. Then, at last, you hear the engines kick-in and watch the water churn from unseen propellers. The ship’s horn unleashes an ear-splitting blast and slowly…you’re off.

It’s cool out here on the lake, bordering on chilly, which comes as a surprise on such a brutally hot summer day. And given Mom’s crankiness on hot and humid days, the cool lake air is an added bonus. This will be a good day for everyone.

It is almost hypnotizing to watch as the Milwaukee skyline becomes smaller and smaller until in one last poof it vanishes completely. Then for several more hours there will be no land at all. The lake doesn’t look all that big on your USA puzzle map, but it will take 7 hours to cross, and once again the world is telling you something about its grandeur.

With nothing but blue everywhere you look, it’s the ship itself that beckons. And trust me, you and your brothers will explore every inch of it. You’ll find a children’s playroom with about a thousand kids all running and screaming, a movie theater showing some dopey western, a nifty soda fountain, a bar, and a dining area that looks pretty fancy. There is also a large dance floor where later that evening a live band will play as the Clipper makes its way back to Milwaukee. There’s a first-class section with fancy staterooms which are out of Mom and Dad’s price range but unnecessary in any case. No one is going to be doing any sleeping on this trip. A particular highlight will be your ridiculous attempt to sneak a peek at one of the staterooms. Getting chased out by an agitated crew member will give you guys a couple hours worth of fiendish laughter once you return to the sundeck and the Michigan shore begins to grow on the eastern horizon.

The return voyage will give you a taste of what Dad always told you about the sea. The sunset and the starry night that follows will be as magical as you imagined. And when you approach Milwaukee late at night the very first thing you will see will be the Gas Weather Flame. Sure enough, you’ll think, you can see it from many miles away. You just have to be out on the lake.

Many years from now the Clipper will be decommissioned and taken out of service, but eventually it will be completely restored and designated a National Historic Landmark, permanently moored in Muskegon, Michigan, a whole lake away from the City that gave this beautiful vessel her name. And believe me, that is really gonna stick in your craw! You’ll want to do anything you can to bring her home, and in a small way, you’ll get to do just that.

“The Clipper”   1990    John T. McCarthy, Jr.    8-color silkscreen

Note to those of us who reside in the future. Here’s a like to The Clipper’s current site: http://www.milwaukeeclipper.com/