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Vaterland was the second of the
Hamburg Amerika Line’s Big Three.
She took the title of the world’s
largest ship from the first of the Big
Three, the 52,117-ton Imperator
launched in 1912. Political tensions in
Germany at that time forced the Hamburg
Amerika Line to change her intended name
of Europa to Vaterland. Although
larger than Imperator, she was
designed to carry fewer passengers, 780
1st, 535 2nd and 2,382 3rd class.
Vaterland set out on her
maiden voyage from Cuxhaven - New York
May 14th 1914. She only managed to
complete seven of these crossings before
being stranded in New York at the
outbreak of World War One August 1st
1914. Vaterland lay idle in New
York until America declared war on
Germany April 6th 1917. This led to the
United States Shipping Board seizing her
to be operated as a troopship under the
name Leviathan. At that time, her
German crew of around 300 was offered
American citizenship. Leviathan
completed nineteen return crossings
between America and Europe during the
war. On one crossing alone, she managed
to carry over 14,000 troops and by the
last crossing; had successfully
transported over 100,000 US servicemen to
Europe. There were about 30 other German
ships seized in American ports in 1917 to
be used in the war against Germany.
Leviathan was again laid up
at New York after completing her
repatriation duties in September 1921.
Following the Treaty of Versailles
awarding her to the United States Line,
she was put into Newport News
Shipbuilding in February 1922 to undergo
a refit. The engineer chosen to redesign
her ‘William Francis Gibbs’
became America’s most famous ever
ship designer. Born in Philadelphia 1868,
the first high profile ship he designed
was the most powerful fireboat ever
built, New York’s famed ship
Firefighter. Gibbs went on to work
on over 6,000 ships including the Trans
Atlantic liners America and
United States.
Leviathan began her sea
trials June 19th 1923 and entered service
on the New York - Southampton run a few
weeks later. At that time, Gibbs claimed
Leviathan was the fastest liner in
the world. These claims seemed to have
been a publicity stunt, as she failed to
take the Blue Riband from Cunard’s
Mauretania. Leviathan never
became very popular as European ships
provided a superior service. Also, as a
condition of the prohibition in America
at that time, no alcohol could be sold on
American ships. This ship regularly
traveled with more crew onboard than
passengers. Leviathan was laid up
at New York from 1932 - 1934. After
re-entering service, she only managed to
complete four voyages between New York
and Southampton before being taken out of
service again. Leviathan set out
on her final voyage from New York to the
scrap yard at Rosyth/Scotland January
26th 1938.
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