Gateway Clipper Fleet
The Gateway Clipper Fleet founded by John E. Connelly is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based fleet of riverboats. The fleet cruises the three rivers of Pittsburgh- the Monongahela, the Allegheny, and the Ohio. The fleet is named after the city of Pittsburgh, which in earlier times was known as the "Gateway to the West" [1]. The original riverboat was the Gateway Clipper, which set sail in 1958. By the mid-1960s, the fleet was composed of three craft, the Gateway Clipper, the Party Liner, and the Good Ship Lollipop. Today there are five watercraft in the fleet: the 1,000-passenger Majestic; the 600-passenger Empress (formerly known as the Party Liner); the 400-passenger Princess (formerly known as the Keystone Belle); the 300-passenger Duchess (formerly known as the Liberty Belle); and the 150-passenger Countess (formerly known as the Good Ship Lollipop, previously known as the City of Champions until 1982). The Party Liner is a barge that is pushed by a towboat named the Empress II (formerly known as the Gateway Liner) [2].
The Gateway Clipper Fleet offers many types of cruises, from day trips for school groups to formal dinner cruises. Shuttle service to PNC Park and Heinz Field is available on days of Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Pitt Panthers home games. The fleet is believed to be the largest inland riverboat fleet in the United States. The fleet formerly was moored at the Monongahela Wharf, but currently it is moored at Station Square.
In 2008 the Gateway Clipper Fleet celebrated its 50th year of sailing on the Three Rivers.
External links
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