The American Lark, the fifth new full containerliner in the United States Lines' current, $105,000,000 new ship construction program, was launched on December 20, 1968 in the yard of the Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Chester, Pa.
The 32,000-ton container carrier was christened with the traditional bottle of champagne and sent down the ways into the Delaware River by Mrs. William S. Vaughan, wife of the chairman of the board of the Eastman Kodak Company. Seventy-five percent completed at time of launching, the American Lark will be ready for her maiden voyage in mid-February.
The new vessel is one of six, which are the largest and fastest full containerliners ever built or ordered in this country or abroad. She is 700 feet 6 inches in length and 90 feet in breadth and has a cargo capacity of 1,335,000 cubic feet. Her streamlined hull, divided into eleven holds has an underdeck capacity of 658 twenty-foot containers which are carried in cellular stalls and tiered six high.
Strongly reinforced hatch covers permit the stacking of another 552 containers three high and ten rows across on deck for a full-ship total of 1,210 twenty-foot containers. A mix of 40-foot and 20-foot containers can also be carried. Recognizing that the movement of perishable cargoes is growing and will continue to expand with fast cargo handling and high-speed ocean crossings, the new ship will have plug-in deck facilities for 90 refrigerated containers.
The American Lark will be followed down the ways at Sun by the American Leader in February, completing a six-ship, full containerliner program.
Reflecting the company's complete commitment to the container concept of shipping, the United States Lines has applied to the Maritime Administration for construction differential subsidy for the building of six more full containerliners, similar to the American Lark. In addition, the company has applied for aid in the reconstruction of its eight Mariner-class cargoliners as full containerliners.