Part III Reports of Officers and Department Chiefs

Notes on Handling the U. S. S. “Leviathan”

By Captain William W. Phelps, U. S. Navy

The power to drive the Leviathan is distributed into turbines driving the four propellers. In the open sea the steam is distributed in what we call the high pressure cruising combination, whereby the turbines operate at their highest economy. But in this combination the engines cannot be thrown back instantly, so that in the open ocean in considering her safety and manœuvering, the rudder effect only can be relied upon. She must be considered as having no backing effect. For leaving port, entering port and manœuvering about the dock or about the anchorage, there is thrown in what is called the manœuvering combination. In this combination the highest speed the ship is capable of is sixteen knots ahead, and the combination permits steam to be thrown into the backing turbines. When there is little or no wind the ship steers very well. When it blows strong on the beam or on the quarter, the enormous area of the ship’s freeboard makes her act like a catboat, she wants to fly up into the wind. She requires a weather helm or to put it in modern language, a lee rudder. She will turn very quickly into the wind, but she will turn away from the wind only slowly and reluctantly. Consequently we always dislike going into New York or out of New York in a gale of wind, where the restricted channel requires prompt and accurate turning of the ship. Under normal conditions the manœuvering of the ship with her propellers, in spite of her great length of 954 feet, is all that can be desired.

New York Harbor

Ambrose Channel is dredged to forty feet at low water. On the spring tides the low water may fall another foot, leaving but thirty-nine feet in the Ambrose Channel at low water. As the ship draws between thirty-nine and forty feet on arrival at New York, it is not safe to try to enter at any other stage of the tide than at high water. Owing to her great bulk it is improbable that any amount of tugs could dock the ship at Hoboken when the current is running in the North River, so for docking at Hoboken, the ship’s arrival must be timed so that she is off Hoboken at the slack water. As the slack water at Hoboken is after the slack water in Ambrose Channel, we enter Ambrose Channel then at high water and carry slackwater all the way up the channel and dock at Hoboken on the high water slack tide. On sailing from Hoboken she is undocking on the low water slack tide, so as to arrive in Ambrose Channel at the next high water. The deep draft of the ship on leaving New York, namely, forty-one feet ten inches, requires that in leaving New York Harbor and as far as the Narrows, the ship must seek what might be called the prehistoric gorge of the Hudson River. There are many places between Hoboken and the Narrows even in what ordinarily would be called the navigable fairway, that are so shallow that the Leviathan would go aground. This prehistoric gorge is accurately known to Captain William S. McLaughlin, Master Pilot of the New York-Sandy Hook Pilots, who always pilots the Leviathan out and in.

Docking and Undocking

Directing the Docking of the U. S. S. “Leviathan”

In docking the Leviathan there is no particular trick that must be known, but on undocking her it must be so timed that while on the New Jersey side at Hoboken the water is dead slack, the flood on the New York side has just begun to make. This helps the operation in two ways. First, by getting her away from the dock before the flood current begins to press her against the dock, and second when she backs out, the beginning of the flood current on the New York side assists to turn her stern upstream and operates to point her correctly. In leaving New York for sea, the ship must be manœuvered over to the New York side, the deepest water being on the New York side. In midstream and on the New Jersey side, between Hoboken and the Statue of Liberty, there is not enough water to float the Leviathan. In docking and undocking we need from fourteen to sixteen tugs. Abnormal conditions can be expected in the winter months. Upstate freshets and northerly gales sometimes operate to kill the flood current off Hoboken and to cause a continuing ebb current. Such a condition has happened, making it impossible to point the ship correctly downstream, and it has been necessary to yield to the elements and to permit her to turn the ship. There is always an apprehension in entering and leaving New York Harbor lest merchant vessels carelessly anchor themselves in the Leviathan’s fairway. Such a condition adds difficulties to the piloting of the ship.

Brest Harbor

Like most passenger vessels she is designed to have a slow and easy roll, which means that she has not a great margin of stability. In entering New York, bringing troops homeward, it is necessary to keep the troops in control and evenly distributed, because in their excitement and happiness, they tend to rush from one side to another on the passing of every cheering ferryboat, heeling over even this great ship. When this ship heels over, owing to her great beam, and to her box-like dead-flat section, it materially increases her already great draft. Large ballast tanks with suitable pumps are provided for the purpose of counteracting the tendency of the ship to heel over, but in spite of this, at sea she lies over to the breeze, and in entering New York she is very sensitive to the movement of troops about the deck.

In mooring to the buoy in Brest Harbor, it is an advantage to arrive at slack water; she must be brought to the buoy with her momentum entirely gone, for her great weight of sixty-nine thousand tons, if moving when the buoy is correctly placed, would make it impossible for the mooring party to handle the great heavy links of four-inch chain, and to connect the mooring shackle.

Drydocking the U. S. S. “Leviathan” in Gladstone Dock, Liverpool, England

By Lieut. A. W. Minuse, U. S. N. R. F.

Drydocking a ship in a graving dock means placing the ship in a dock or basin at the entrance of which is a gate or caisson, accurately centering the ship over a system of blocks or beds, previously prepared according to plans and then pumping the water out of the dock.

When a ship is designed the Naval Architect always prepares a docking plan showing in detail just how to prepare these beds so that the ship will rest evenly without straining her in any way. Ordinarily, docking a ship up to 32,000 or 33,000 tons is not much of a problem, nor does it involve much of a risk, but on larger ships with all the necessary data known, those connected with the docking always feel easier when they see the ship setting safely on the blocks.

To give some idea of the size of the Leviathan consider our latest, biggest and most powerful battleship, the New Mexico. She weighs 32,000 tons. The Leviathan weighed or displaced at the time of docking more than twice this, or approximately 66,000 tons.

We had no docking plans nor plans of any description showing her form or construction. The Germans had either destroyed or removed all her plans. This was the problem we were confronted with in January, 1918, when it was decided to dock the ship in Liverpool for the necessary cleaning and painting of her body under water, and doing other necessary work, including a clump on her forefoot for towing the paravanes, or mine-sweeping device.

In Dry Dock

The Liverpool Drydock

The Gladstone Dock in Liverpool was the only drydock in the world at the time that would take the Leviathan. The entire development of this dock, which included a tidal basin, was not completed when the war broke out, so the tidal basin was abandoned and one of a pair of docks was finished up and a long channel dredged to the River Mersey.

The ship drew so much that we could not enter the dock except at the spring tides, or in other words, only about two days out of a month would permit us to enter the dock, provided the wind did not cut the tide too much.

The next thing was to decide on how to prepare the beds of the drydock to receive the ship. An examination of her bottom was necessary. Divers were sent down and they reported that she had neither docking nor bilge keels, and that her keel plate consisted of a plate of about 2 inches thick by 3 feet wide.

In converting the ship from a passenger to a troop ship, we naturally became familiar with every detail of her construction. With this knowledge of her construction and due consideration being given to the location of the heavy weights, etc., it was decided to place the main bed under the third intercostal, this bed running from frames 220 to 101, or a distance of 358 feet amidships. The spacing of these blocks was 6 feet, or every other frame space. The center of these blocks was 25½ feet from the center line of the ship.

In addition to the center line bed, which is placed underneath the keel, and the two main beds, one port and one starboard, which is placed under the third intercostal, an outer bed, consisting of four sets of five blocks each, space 6 feet centers, was placed under the fore and aft coal bunker bulkhead, at the intersection of the thwartship bulkheads.

The fore and aft center of these blocks came at frame 199, 174, 151 and 126. Blocks of the outer bed were staggered with those of the inner bed. This outer bed was 35 feet from the center of the ship. At the fore and aft ends of the ship where the dead-rise is considerable, an inner bed a few inches from the center of the ship for a distance of 60 feet was prepared, 12 feet 6 inches forward, and 13 feet 9 inches aft.

After deciding the location of these beds, the next step was to get some idea of how to prepare them, so that they would conform to the shape of the ship. Preparing the center line bed was of course easier, as it was known that the keel of the ship was a straight line.

The forward end of the center line bed consisted of a solid line of blocks for a distance of 104 feet, and the after end of a solid line of blocks for 144 feet, where exceptionally heavy weights would be carried. The balance of the blocks was spaced every 15 inch centers, except in the way of water-tight bulkheads. Under these bulkheads the blocks were filled in solid for 7 blocks. On each side of these, two spaces were omitted and then filled in solid for 5 blocks. Reference to the docking plans will show the spacing of these blocks.

Blocks and Beds

An idea of the blocks used in building the beds can be had by referring to the photograph. They consisted of 3 cast steel wedges, which, when placed upon each other, were about 3 feet high, 15 inches wide at the bottom, and 3 feet 6 inches long. On top of these steel wedges was placed a hardwood block 12 inches square and 4 feet long, and on top of the hardwood blocks was placed a soft wood cap 12 inches wide by 4 inches thick by 4 feet long.

To prepare the main, inner and outer beds, it was necessary to have some idea of the form of the ship. By opening up the water-tight doors in the fireroom we were able to get a base line 300 feet long. Every other double bottom tank was pumped out and offsets taken at the fore and aft ends of these tanks, in way of the main, inner and outer beds. The taking of these offsets was greatly facilitated by the fact that the double bottom was found to be flat in both the fore and aft thwartships direction. Buttocks were run through these offsets. While these buttocks faired up very well, it was realized that the measurements would not be accurate enough for the actual preparation of the beds; therefore they were prepared to within 4 inches of these measurements.

Several hundred wedges of varying thicknesses were made ready in advance, and after the ship was placed on the center line blocks, the space between the main and outer beds and the ship’s bottom was packed with the wedges by divers.

The Gladstone Dock was prepared according to the above description, carefully checked and measured, and then flooded to about 10 feet, so that no one could tamper with it. After the dock was prepared, we had to wait several days for a spring tide, and also to dredge out a shifting shoal at the entrance of the channel leading to the dock.

The first tide that the ship could enter the dock was at 11:50 A. M., January 14, 1918. She was brought to as even a keel as possible, which was 35 feet 9 inches forward and 37 feet 6 inches aft. This was accomplished by filling the forward tanks and emptying the after tanks and placing about 1,400 tons of coal in her reserve and forward bunkers. This was the nearest to an even keel that we had ever had the ship up to this time in the light condition. I might mention here that in this condition the ship is extremely tender, and that Lieut. Watts of the Engineering Department, displayed great diligence and good judgment in keeping her perfectly upright, while setting her on the blocks.

Entering the Dock

On January 14, 1918, the ship proceeded down the Mersey River to the entrance of the dock, but the wind was too high to attempt making the entrance, and we had to return to Princess Landing. On the 15th conditions were much better but none too favorable. However, as it was the last day of the spring tide we had to make the attempt. The spring tides are about 21 feet, and the current is very swift, so we had less than an hour in which to enter the dock and close the caisson.

The entrance was very narrow, so that tugs were of little assistance and she had to go in under her own power. It was a fine piece of seamanship and was successfully accomplished without damage to either the ship or the dock. The handling of the ship in the long entrance channel to the dock was done by the Senior Captain of the Cunard Line on shore. We were all greatly shocked about two weeks later to learn of his death, due to a channel steamer being torpedoed on its return from France, where he had been called on an important conference. It was the loss of such fine men through the treacherous German submarines that brought home to us more than ever our solemn duty to beat the Germans at all costs.

On the 16th everything was ready for setting her on the center line blocks. The weather conditions were ideal; the wind was on the stern and the ship was on an even keel. The stern touched the blocks and she settled at 3:55 P. M.

Previous to setting the ship on the blocks 12 sighting battons were erected along the level of “B” deck from stem to stem, so that if the ship was strained in any way it could be readily noted. A piano wire was also stretched from side to side at the top of the thwartships coal bunkers amidships and connected to a spring balance, so that any opening up effect, due to the divers not properly packing the main beds, would immediately show.

As soon as the stern touched the blocks the top row of side shores were set up commencing from aft. These shores were spaced every 5 frames, or about 15 feet centers. Altogether there were three rows of these side shores. The water was then lowered to a depth of 32 feet and the water maintained at this depth while the divers packed the main, inner and outer beds. As soon as possible after the water reached 32 feet, the water in all the tanks was pumped out with the exception of the feed tanks and No. 23 and 24 fresh water service tanks. The stem and side anchors were lowered and the pig iron in No. 17 tank, amounting to about 473 tons, was removed.

The water was maintained in the dock at 32 feet, because at this depth the ship was just resting nicely on the center line blocks and would not compress the soft wood caps. We did not want any unnecessary weight on the center line blocks until the divers had finished their work on the main and outer beds, so that when the dock was finally pumped out, the ship would imbed itself in the soft wood capping at a uniform depth. This worked out exceptionally well, and was remarkably uniform on all beds, amounting to about 2 inches at the end of the third day. On the third day the spring balance on the piano wire registered less than an ounce difference. The sighting battons showed that she had settled amidships about 1⅜ inches. After floating she returned to ⅛ inch of the original condition. This I believe to be the natural hog of the ship.

The undocking of the ship was somewhat unusual in that 7,800 tons of coal were placed aboard while she was in dry dock, 1,400 tons while the dock was absolutely dry and the balance of the coal, with from 35 to 37 feet of water in the dock. This was not sufficient to float the ship, and she still rested upon the docking beds. Immediately before letting in the water, all the bilge and hanging shores, and shores under, the stem and stern that would in any way injure the ship should she take a sudden list, or any undue change of trim, were removed. These shores were removed at about 15 minute intervals, so that the ship could adjust itself and any undue settling could be noticed. During this operation men were stationed at the sighting battons and the piano wire. Water was then admitted as quickly as possible to 35 feet and maintained at this level while additional coal was put aboard from barges admitted to the dock at low tide. This was a rather trying ordeal, but was successfully accomplished in 5 days.

Arrangements had been made to leave the dock on February 11th. It was therefore decided to float her on the 10th, and an estimate was made of the coal on board and such tanks as were necessary to bring her to an even trim and even keel, were filled. She floated at 1:20 on the 10th with 38 feet 11 inches draft aft, 39 feet 6 inches draft forward, and less than ½° list to starboard.

I cannot speak too highly of the hearty co-operation received from the ship’s officers and crew, especially Naval Constructor J. H. Jack, U. S. N. This applies not only to the docking of the ship, but to her conversion from a passenger ship to a transport. No duty was too strenuous or hours too long, and during the conversion the living quarters on the ship were not of the best. They were continually shifted from one part of the ship to the other, even the meals were of a makeshift character and at times irregular. Every man seemed to realize what we were up against and that we must make good. Everyone pulling together, accomplishment was made possible.

The conversion of the ship to a transport speaks volumes for the Navy Department organization and more particularly for the New York Navy Yard, under whose direct supervision the work was undertaken.

The ship was so big that she could not be taken to a shipyard, nor transferred to the Navy Yard. The task had to be undertaken where she lay at her piers in Hoboken and the New York Navy Yard organization was elastic enough and active enough to carry on the work outside the Navy Yard.

The Bridge

W. J.

General conditions on the bridge were good. Instruments had deteriorated somewhat, owing to the long stay in port and not being used.

All signal flags and navigation instruments, including the three chronometers which comprised part of her equipment were removed. The ship was equipped with two master gyroscopic compasses installed on “G” deck and seven repeaters for use on the bridge in steering and taking bearings; these were all found to be more or less in need of repairs and after days of hard and tedious work on the part of Lieut. W. H. F. Schluter and his well organized staff they were put in fine condition and have been kept in this manner constantly even though he has had to add pieces of lead to each master gyro to maintain a level. Being of German manufacture, no spare parts could be obtained during the war, but whenever they were needed Lieutenant Schluter proved to be the “man of the hour.” The gyros were only one of his many troubles for, being electrical officer, there were numerous other duties about the ship. There were a great many German charts left on board but the ship was equipped by the Bureau of Navigation with American charts before leaving port. The steering gears and all the telegraphs were changed to English speaking. The deep-sea sounding machines are still in commission after a great amount of usage, and the motors attached to them for heaving in the lead are still in good working order. The patent log for measuring distance is the “Forbes,” an English patent. Loudspeaking telephones reached to all the principal parts of the ship, and are very much used. A fire-alarm indicator is placed in the wheelhouse and is set at fifteen-minute intervals. This indicator has pipes leading to all holds through which the smoke from any fire in a hold would be drawn and can be seen in the wheelhouse when the alarm goes off. A steam hose can be connected to the pipe and the fire smothered. There is a control for operating water-tight doors and a diagram showing location of each door; upon this diagram an electric light burns when each door is closed, showing the officer of the deck whether the control works properly.

The big 44-inch searchlight on the foremast is controlled very readily from the bridge by a small lever; the fog bell is rung and all whistles are blown by an electrical attachment. The master electric clock is on the bridge and gives the time to 550 repeaters situated throughout the ship. These clocks required a great amount of painstaking labor to be put into good condition and demand constant care and supervision. During the alterations in which first class staterooms were ripped out to make troop quarters, the wiring system to the clocks was torn out by the workmen as well as everything else which happened to be in their path.

As mentioned previously the ship’s chronometers, three in number, were missing. These were afterwards found by the Secret Service in a nautical school in New York City. The commanding officer had to send them to the Naval Observatory at Washington, D. C. This was done with great reluctance as they were of the finest type and a good chronometer is a very valuable and much used article aboard a ship. Others were sent to replace them. The bridge and signal bridge were altered for transport purposes. The fire control and range finder stations being built on the signal bridge, and the fine bright finish of the wood was changed to the more popular color at that time—the war gray. Otherwise the Leviathan remains the Vaterland, as when she was in the merchant service—a German transport in disguise.

The Deck Force

F. C. W.

When the Leviathan was taken over by the Navy, the chief difficulty that presented itself was the scarcity of men available for the deck force. Only a few of the crew that had been assigned to the ship had ever been to sea. A few—gun crews, for the most part—had had some experience, but not enough to qualify them as seamen. This was partly due to their short terms of service.

As a result, the brunt of the work fell upon the shoulders of a few experienced petty officers, who fortunately had been assigned to the ship. These men worked day and night in a supreme effort to organize their crews and create a working machine. For the first few days they did everything from scrubbing the decks to exploring the double bottoms. There was no distinction between the rated men and the seamen in this line of work.

The size of the ship added to the confusion. It was impossible to keep a detail together for more than a minute and a half. It was easy for an entire working party to get lost between decks. It was easier for some to get lost than others. Finally, it was decided that the only way to keep a working party together was to hang a bell around the neck of the petty officer in charge. This scheme worked well until two working parties met, when it was necessary to call in a traffic cop to get them separated.

Because of their unfamiliarity with the ship, details were apt to deliver sacks of “spuds” to the Commander’s cabin, and stationery to the blacksmith shop. This situation was relieved by the appointment of guides to conduct the working parties around.

The parts of the ship allotted to the deck division (at that time we could only boast of one), were in rather good shape, considering the time the ship had been laid up. The weather decks were littered up like an old woman’s backyard after a hard day’s washing, but most of the truck was movable. Boats were piled across the hatches and all over the decks, making it impossible to get around. Boxes, stores and cordage were everywhere.

The process of making the ship habitable was accomplished by a mere handful of men, most of the division being assigned to various details for work in other compartments.

After the work of cleaning up had been completed, attention was turned to the rigging. The running rigging was in bad shape and it was found necessary to refit all of the davits that were rigged with manila rope. The booms were also refitted with new whips and guys. Requisitions for wire and manila lines were made right and left and all of the rigging was overhauled.

Of the 72 boats on board, 26 were equipped with friction winches and needed no power for rigging out and loading. The power for hoisting was furnished by electric motors, each one operating two or more winches. These winches were given a thorough overhauling and found to be in excellent condition. The boat falls, which were of special laid wire, were then unrove and tested. Only two of the entire number needed attention. At that time we had no serviceable wire, and it was a case of a few well-made long splices.

The ground tackle on the ship was all that could be desired. Of the three Hall type anchors, the largest, or stem anchor, weighed a little more than twelve tons. The other two, port and starboard, tipped the scales at eleven tons. These little trinkets were the only articles on board considered safe from souvenir hunters. For the information of landsmen, the “anchor watch” has no connection with the anchor itself, but is merely the men on watch as Officer of the Deck’s night messengers while the ship is at anchor.

The stem anchor was fitted with a 4-inch stud link chain, 150 fathoms in length. The port and starboard anchors had chains of 164 and 150 fathoms, respectively. The chains for the latter were three and three-eighths inches in diameter, the size of a chain being measured by the diameter of the material of which the links are formed.

The anchor engines were of corresponding size, and could be connected with the capstans on deck. In addition to them, there were seven more engines for capstans in all parts of the ship. In consequence, mooring the ship to a dock was not the hard task that it usually is.

The stern anchor and chain had apparently been left in Hamburg. The hawse pipe aft, and the stern chain locker were utilized for the handling and stowage of the heavy manila hawsers.

Most of the manila hawsers on board had to be replaced. Natural decay or possibly a small application of acid had so weakened the lines that they had a tendency to break at the most inopportune moments. The wire hawsers, however, were in A-1 condition, and up until the present time, have never been replaced.

But the work of fitting out was not all that had to be done. Men must be fed; and it seemed, from the accumulation of provisions on the dock, that we were being depended upon for the entire job of feeding the A. E. F. Truckload after truckload of stores was piled on the dock, and hoisted aboard, day after day. We soon learned that one trip with 10,000 red blooded men aboard involved the consumption of almost everything we had been piling into the ship’s storerooms and refrigerators. Besides food, there were general stores to be handled, including everything from safety pins to dishwashing machines. Every department was working overtime to get things ship-shape, and the deck force most of all.

At last it was rumored that we were about to make our maiden trip under the American flag. This was followed by a speeding up in all departments. It received final substantiation when military equipment and stores began to arrive. The time had come for a real test.

We had a chance to test our booms when a five-ton truck showed up as a part of the equipment to be loaded. The booms were of three-ton capacity and it was necessary to strengthen the lifts and rig a purchase in lieu of the single whip. It was taken aboard without mishap.

Just before leaving all boat-falls were given a final test. Every boat was rigged out and lowered to within a few feet of the water. A party of sixty-five men then clambered in and the boat was hoisted and lowered ten feet or more. This party was used for all of the boats, which were found to be in satisfactory condition. A few boats not on davits were hoisted overboard and tested for watertightness.

One morning in the fall of 1917 we slipped away. There were many conjectures as to our destination, one opinion being that we were bound for Panama for a last overhauling in dry dock. It developed that we were taking 1,500 marines to Guantanamo.

Upon our arrival in Cuba, we discharged all equipment and turned our attention to the boats once more. The boat officers were given their first lesson in the handling of the boat winches, and some of the men were given their first experience in a boat under oars.

Back again to Hoboken—more handling of stores and provisions. The Marines, although few in number, had managed to put quite a hole in our store of provisions. But the worst was yet to come. Orders sending the ship to France came, and with them 7,500 soldiers.

We had one piece of luck in getting off. While the crews of other transports had been compelled to sit and watch civilian stevedores put their stores aboard, the crew of the Leviathan were allowed to handle everything going aboard the ship themselves. There were no restrictions whatever, permission even being given to work night and day at the job. All of the equipment handled by the civilian stevedores belonging to the army. The crew handled all of the naval equipment aboard, including Liberty motors, aeroplanes and S. P. boats.

Liverpool had the honor of receiving us on our first and second voyages. Here we went into dry dock for final repairs, and here we had our first experience coaling ship in drydock. Coaling was carried on from cars running along the dock and also from small lighters or flats in the dock itself. The lighters were emptied and taken away only at certain stages of the tide. There was always a chance of the ship floating during one of these manœuvers, and the work of bringing loaded lighters into the dock and sending the emptied ones out required quick action and plenty of it. The notorious punctuality of time and tide is especially noticeable in the Liverpool drydock, and we worked at all hours of the day and night to keep in step.

The bottom of the ship was given a new coat of paint, and we left for Hoboken and more troops. On our second voyage to Liverpool our paravanes were installed, adding a little to the work, but contributing a good deal to our sense of security. Once more, for the benefit of the landsman: The paravanes, or PVs, are contrivances fitted to the bow of the ship, as a protection against mines, so constructed that they will automatically pick up the moorings of a mine and cut it adrift.

Beginning with our third trip, we worked on an express train schedule. Everything depended upon speed. Our cargoes increased at the same time. In addition to all kinds of army equipment, we frequently carried aeroplanes, boats for overseas duty, and on one trip a large mooring buoy. In order to load them on board, additional changes had to be made in the rigging, purchases and guys of the booms. Even the weather decks were utilized for the transportation of cargo for the naval forces overseas.

At the present writing the good old ship is still on the job—bringing them back. The machine is running as smoothly as the ship’s engines, and instead of having a few inexperienced men in the deck force, we have an organization, built from almost nothing, that can compete with anything in the navy.

Embarkation and Debarkation of Troops

W. S. A.

This is a brief description of how the Leviathan’s human cargo was loaded and unloaded. The plan had been followed from the beginning with slight changes made by experience in carrying troops over before the armistice and carrying them back afterwards.

The ship’s troop capacity began at 6,800 and on the 13th voyage it was approximately 12,000. Throughout the war it averaged about 10,000. In addition, officers’ space has varied between 400 and 600.

Throughout the war, carrying troops east, five gangways were employed on G-deck forward, to fill forward compartments; C-deck and F-decks amidships, to fill amidship compartments; E-deck and G-deck gangways aft to fill after compartments.

On each gangway, the compartment farthest away and lowest was filled and so on to the gangway compartment. In no case did troops crowd through a filled compartment.

It was early realized that loading the ship with troops was a Navy function and was treated as such. The organization at each of the five gangways was: one naval officer in charge and assisted by one chief petty officer and fifteen men. Wherever Army officers were available one was detailed to assist the Naval officer.

Prior to embarkation on each voyage, the ship’s embarkation officer made an assignment of all troops the ship was to carry, so organizations would not be split up but located in the same part of the ship to facilitate work. Often this was a problem on account of the arrival of trains or ferries and the size of organizations carried. Also, troop compartments had an arbitrary number of bunks in them, based on the amount which could be put in and not upon the number in military organizations. By planning we were able to get a complete regiment amidships, one aft, and a battalion forward, then filling in smaller units up to capacity.

Generally a battalion, or approximately 1,000 men, came to the ship a day in advance of embarkation for the guard and mess details. The next day the balance of the troops arrived. When the guard was not posted before embarkation, the troops were all over decks, superstructure, and masts, resulting in much unnecessary confusion.

Embarkation usually began about 8 o’clock or 9 o’clock in the morning, although on one occasion it began as early as 5:30 A. M. Organizations marched on the dock, both upper and lower levels, the Army checkers checked the individual soldier’s names upon the passenger lists and the soldier would receive a billet ticket which showed his compartment, bunk number, deck space, abandon ship station, safety rules, etc. Then the column would move over the gangway and the prescribed routes to the compartment. Each of the five columns were led by a Naval guide, and other Naval guides were posted along the route and seven or eight Navy men in the compartment, to direct the columns to the proper bunks and put the soldiers in the bunks called for by the billet tickets. The numbering in compartments generally began in the forward starboard corner and ended in the after port corner. Later on, the bunks in the amidship compartments were renumbered so that a column of troops could be directed up a passageway and men could get into the bunks on both sides of it.

Rules Observed

A company officer would go into the compartment being filled and assist the Navy detail; troops got into their bunks as soon as found, and stayed there until embarkation over that gangway was completed. No smoking was allowed in compartments. Without strict adherence to these rules, embarkation was hindered. Generally it was possible to take troops aboard nearly as fast as they arrived on the dock and many times the dock would be emptied before the next organizations would arrive. The troop mess hall on F-deck was used as a reservoir to hold over 1,000 troops marching in a serpentine line which proceeded into the compartments being filled. The Naval officer in charge of the gangway circulated from the gangway over the route into the compartment and saw that all went smoothly. The embarkation officer moved around all gangways into compartments being filled and upon the deck, generally overseeing and directing embarkation.

The Navy men for the forward gangway were from the first division, midship gangways from the third division and the other gangways from the fourth division. With the inborn aptitude of the American youth, they soon became experts in embarking and made short work of filling compartments. There was little change in the details during the entire war period. The men took real pride in their work. Embarkation of 10,000 troops, each soldier into his own numbered bunk, could not have been effected in a period of six to eight hours, if it had not been for the zeal and ardor and intelligence which the men put into their work.

Whenever a bunk was found which could not be used and compartments were checked over before embarkation, the ticket was taken up from the soldier and another secured at the gangway so the man could occupy a bunk in the vicinity of his company.

Relations between the ship’s officers concerned with embarking and the army officers of the port of embarkation staff were harmonious and co-operation grew as trips increased. On some occasions the ship’s officers went to the army camps, gave talks and distributed ship’s pamphlets in advance of embarkation which were of assistance in embarking and getting the army settled on board.

On these war time embarkations, one noted the eagerness with which the troops came aboard to get to the scene of war. On one occasion a number of colored troops went up E-deck gangway, which had an angle of nearly forty-five degrees, upon their hands and knees for safety’s sake. This caused great laughter.

Only on one or two embarkations were there any substantial delays, as trains and ferries generally arrived on schedule. Once an entire regiment was fitted up with two pairs of trench shoes upon the upper level of the dock. During the influenza epidemic in the fall of 1918 taking the temperatures of all troops slowed up embarkation.

Debarkations

During the war, debarkation on the first two trips to Liverpool was simply to march the troops over the G-deck forward, F-deck amidships, and G-deck after gangways on the landing stage in reverse order of embarkation, where they mustered by organizations and entrained. On the third trip to Liverpool, in November, 1918, the Leviathan ran her nose into the Mersey mud off the Gladstone dock in a heavy fog. The tide ebbed and the ship began to list. All the Mersey ferry boats were commandeered and the 8,000 troops were debarked on them from F-deck gangway amidships and G-deck gangway aft, in three hours. Gangways to the ferries in several cases were at an angle of sixty degrees. Debarkation was rushed to lighten the ship, and she was backed off on the rising tide that evening under her own power.

At Brest, during the war, a different plan was followed. Coaling began soon after the ship was moored. G-deck gangways aft, port and starboard sides, were the only gangways available to debark troops onto lighters. B-deck and the troop mess hall were used as debarking mustering stations. Organizations moved to them from their compartments, according to prearranged plan, as it was essential to send the troops ashore by organizations. B-deck held about 1,800 men with their packs and the mess hall about 1,200. When assembled, they moved to lighters lying at the after gangway. These held at first according to size, from 600 to 2,200 men and they were packed tight. Their capacity was reduced on later voyages.

The troops cheered the old Leviathan as their lighters drew away, and our men responded. The Leviathan carried many organizations which later paid heavy toll of casualties in battles.

When the armistice was signed and the westbound tide set in, it required considerable work to reverse the procedure of embarking at Brest and debarking at Hoboken. The entire embarkation was over G-deck gangway for all compartments up to the thirteenth voyage, as it proceeded during coaling.

The procedure of filling compartments was the same, but it was necessary to unload lighters quickly and get them away so the line of troops to compartments was extended to fill A-deck, B-deck, D-deck forward and aft, from whence the line of troops fed down into the compartments.

From 1,100 to 2,200 sick and wounded were embarked at the same time as the other troops, this was done under supervision of the medical officer, assisted by the hospital corps. The casuals were taken to sick bay or E-deck compartments especially set aside for them.

Debarkation at Hoboken was the quick and happy event following the reception the ship received coming up the harbor. G-deck forward, C and F-decks amidships, and G-deck after gangways are used. The troops march out on them in reverse order of embarking. Units muster on the dock according to their organizations. Briefly, the procedure resembles pouring liquid out of three different pitchers, just the reverse of filling the compartments upon embarkation. The debarkation of troops was completed in about three hours.

The dock was always a lively place with throngs of reporters and welfare workers present with refreshments and smokes for the boys. The canine mascots generally got aboard unobserved, but in debarkation they proceed with their proud masters down the gangways and are admired as returning heroes by those upon the dock. Many of the dogs were “prisoners of war,” having come over to the American trenches from the enemy.

Such, briefly, is the story of the loading and unloading of the Leviathan’s human cargo. The doughboys have bravely done their part in winning the war. We of the Leviathan have had the happy and important duty of getting them over safely and bringing them back home.

Abandon Ship Drill

E. E.

Abandon ship drill is the most important drill on board ship as the saving of the lives of all would depend upon the degree of perfection, organization, and speed of execution. It is easily seen that a ship the size of the Leviathan by reason of her water-tight doors would not sink for several hours after a torpedo attack or after striking a mine; thus the great danger to be avoided is the panic attendant upon such a contingency. The end to be attained is the conducting of all the troops in an orderly and expeditious manner to the weather decks where, equipped with life jackets and canteens, they can climb over the side on sea ladders rigged for the purpose and reach the rafts and boats already lowered into the water.

The abandon ship organization requires the second in army command to be in charge of the troop movement. He has as his assistants thirty-five captains as troop compartment officers—they are the senior officers in each troop compartment—and seventy lieutenants, the junior compartment officers. As a special abandon ship detail there are twelve majors acting as abandon ship mustering station officers and twenty-four captains and lieutenants acting as assistants to these officers.

The abandon ship mustering stations are distributed over the ship and include all available space on the weather decks except such space as is necessary to the lowering of boats or to the actual navigation of the ship. The routing of the troops to these stations is worked out on the principle that all watertight doors will be closed as soon as abandon ship signal sounds. The capacity of these stations is limited to a minimum of three cubic feet of deck space per man, giving also due consideration to the disposition of the ship’s boats.

During the war the first abandon ship drill was held prior to the sailing of the ship. All men aboard were obliged to keep their life jackets within reach at all times. For the first three drills the troops were sent below to their compartments at the call “assembly” on the bugles so they would become familiar with their abandon ship route. After the first three drills, troops already up on deck proceeded directly to their mustering stations.

Going to Bring the Doughboys Home

Troops were not required to wear their life jackets when hostilities ceased, but when abandon ship drill was held they were sent below to assemble in their compartments, put on their life jackets, and then at the abandon ship call proceed over the abandon ship route to their mustering stations to stand by for further orders or until “secure” is sounded.

The plan followed throughout the ship called for the emptying of the lowest compartment first. Other compartments using the same abandon ship route stand fast until the troops in the lowest compartment have filed past.

It was found that by this drill all compartments could be emptied and all troops assembled at their abandon ship mustering stations within fifteen minutes of the sounding of the abandon ship signal, or within one half hour of the blowing of the “assembly” which sends the troops to their compartments.

The Gunnery Department

Gunnery Officers

Creed H. Boucher, Lieut., U.S.N.; assigned, August 3, 1917; detached, April 20, 1918.

Arnold H. Bateman, Lieut., U.S.N.; assigned, April 20, 1918; detached, October 27, 1918.

Charles K. Osborne, Lieut. Comdr., U.S.N.; assigned, October 27, 1918; detached, April 3, 1919.

Assistant Gunnery Officers

William E. Malloy, Lieut., U.S.N.; assigned, October 8, 1917.

(Lieut. Malloy was detached as assistant Gunnery Officer in order to take over the duties of First Lieutenant of the ship.)

Ship’s Gunners

Arthur B. Dorsey, Lieut., U.S.N.; assigned, July 30, 1917; detached, January 22, 1919.

John T. Swift, Lieut., U.S.N.; assigned, January 22, 1919; detached, March 6, 1919.

James F. Williams, Gunner, U.S.N.; assigned, January 20, 1919.

(Gunner Williams served on board as a Chief Gunner’s Mate from August, 1917, until he was made Gunner in January, 1919.)

Lieut. Boucher, Lieut. Malloy and Lieut. Dorsey, were the officers in charge of the installation of the battery, fire control system, etc., the training of gun crews and lookouts, and in fact all the numerous details required to have the ship in readiness for sea and action when she cleared the net in New York Harbor. Great credit is due these officers and the men of their department for the excellent manner in which this work was carried out. Much credit is also due the officers and men who succeeded them for the excellent manner in which they maintained the high standard of efficiency that had been set for them.

There were also six Chief Gunner’s Mates and seven gunner’s mates of lower ratings attached to the ship during her voyages across the Atlantic.

No technical discussion of ordnance and gunnery will be attempted in these pages, just a general description of guns, fire control systems, etc., and their method of operation.

Armament and Equipment

The armament and equipment of the Leviathan consisted of the following:

8—6-inch 50-Cal. guns Mk. VIII.

2—1-Pdr. guns, Mk. VIII.

2—“Y”-Guns for throwing depth charges.

2—Colt Machine Guns.

1—Lewis Machine Gun.

150—.30-Cal. Springfield Rifles.

75—.45-Cal. Colt Automatic Pistols.

1—Large Bausch and Lomb 12-Ft. Range Finder.

2—Small Barr and Stroud 1-meter Range Finders.

1—Ford Range Keeper.

The six-inch guns were installed on October 5, 1917—four aft and four forward. The distance between the forward and after guns was about seven hundred feet, which is a greater distance than the entire length of any battleship we have in commission.

The work of installation was carried on by ordnance men from the New York Navy Yard, assisted by the ship’s gunnery department.

Splendid co-ordination existed at all times between the Navy Yard people and the ship’s force which helped materially to expedite the work. Considerable effort and labor were required to get the ship in readiness to receive the guns, mounts, etc. Gun foundations and gun platforms had to be built; blast bulkheads erected in proper places so as to protect one gun from the fire of the other; certain portions of the deck were extended in order to give the after guns a greater arc of train. Lines of communication, voice tubes and telephones, had to be run from all guns to fire control and spotting stations; and salvo bells and buzzers installed. All of this work was completed in record time and gave excellent results throughout the war.

Foundation and mount tests were held on November 20, 1917, on our trial trip to Guantanamo, when three shots were fired from each six-inch gun. These tests proved satisfactory in every respect.

The 1-pdr. guns were not installed until September 28, 1918. These guns were mounted on the port and starboard sides of C-deck amidships. They also proved satisfactory when fired for tests on September 30, 1918. Lieutenant Boucher originally made a request for four 1-pdr. guns and also two anti-aircraft guns, but only the two 1-pdr. guns were allowed this ship.

Depth Charges

The original depth charge outfit of this vessel consisted of the earlier type of depth charges, containing only fifty-two pounds of TNT as an explosive. We were allowed ten of the charges and a chute was rigged over the stern for launching them.

On July 27, 1918, two “Y” guns were installed which throw a charge of TNT weighing 300 pounds. These were tested out by filling four large paint drums with wet sand, to bring them up to the required weight, and firing them from the “Y” guns. The cans landed approximately 200 feet from the ship, our extra high freeboard causing them to travel farther than if fired from the deck of a torpedo boat.

We never had the opportunity of trying our depth charges on a real submarine. A ship of this size would have to be extremely lucky to manœuvre so as to be in a position to drop a depth charge on a submarine.

The “Y”-guns were removed December 30, 1918, after the armistice had been signed.

Machine Guns

The two Colt machine guns were mounted forward on C-deck gallery, abaft No. 3 and No. 4 guns, and the Lewis machine gun aft by the depth charge station. The primary object of the machine guns was for sinking floating mines. The crews were kept in practice by firing at driftwood, floating boxes, fish, etc. The 1-pdr. crews also engaged in this kind of practice.

Range Finders

The range finders were mounted on the forward superstructure just abaft and above the signal bridge. The large range finder being mounted on a specially constructed stand amidships between the port and starboard fire control stations, and at a height of 124 feet above the water-line. Both control stations were always within easy means of communication with this range finder by means of voice tubes. The two small range-finders were mounted on platforms—one on the outside of each fire control station.

It is difficult to use the range finder against a periscope for the simple reason that the periscope is visible for only a short length of time, and is hard to get a quick reading on. The range will have been obtained by spotting the shots before the range finder can be brought into play. However, the range finder would have been invaluable had we been attacked by a raider, or a submarine on the surface.

Ammunition

The ammunition allowance for the ship was:

1,200—6-inch shells, long point.

1,200—6-inch 50-cal. powder charges.

80—6-inch flat nose shells. (Non-ricocheting, for submarines when submerged.)

480—1-pdr. cartridges.

89,000—Cartridges, for .30-cal. rifle.

10,000—Cartridges, for .45-cal. automatic pistol.

In addition to the above, blank ammunition for rifles was carried for training with ex-caliber.

Forty shells were carried in shell racks at the guns at all times, and twenty rounds of powder at each gun while at sea. The rest of the ammunition was carried in the magazines forward and aft (seven decks below) and supplied to the guns by means of elevators and ammunition parties.

Gun Drills

Gun and fire control drills were held daily to keep all hands in practice. These drills were discontinued while in the war zone. Actual conditions were simulated as much as possible at all drills.

Gun Watches

When not in the war zone two guns forward (one on each side) and two guns aft, were manned by a crew of six men at all times, with a man at the telephones of each of the guns off watch. The men off watch had to remain in the vicinity of their quarters ready for instant call.

While in the zone all guns were manned by a crew of six men with six men standing by in reserve. The guns were kept loaded, both in and out of the zone, with powder and shell—ready for instant firing by inserting a primer.

Lookouts

Good lookouts are absolutely essential to a ship’s safety. They have one of the most important positions on the ship. On their alertness depends the discovery of any submarine or suspicious object in his arc of lookout and the immediate and accurate reporting of it to the fire control officer, so that the guns may be brought into action in the quickest possible time against the enemy.

There were twelve lookout stations on this vessel—six on each side—so arranged that each lookout had an arc of thirty degrees to keep under close observation. Of course there were additional lookouts on watch at all times, such as the gun crews, control officers, signalmen and officers-of-the-deck. Each tried to be the first to spot a hostile periscope.

Personnel

The personnel of the gun crews, lookouts, etc., showed excellent qualities and sense of duty during the period of the war. In all attacks by submarines, and false alarms, every man performed his duties as he had been taught at drill, showing no undue excitement, always on the job and ready for more.

The letter from 6-inch gun crew No. 2 quoted below is an example that well shows the spirit of the men.

U. S. S. Leviathan, April 26, 1918.

From Number Two Gun Crew To Commanding Officer, Via Executive Officer.

Subject: Request to be transferred with 6″ Naval Gun to Western Front.

1. It is respectfully requested that the Number Two Gun Crew be transferred with a 6″ Naval Gun to the Western Front to aid American Artillery.

2. The entire crew of Number Two gun are very desirous of a six months’ tryout to prove their ability, and if the service rendered is satisfactory, it is recommended that more gun crews from U. S. Naval ships be transferred to the Western Front; the transfer to be voluntary.

3. This is being done in the French and British Navies, and is proving very successful.

(Signed) P. R. Bradley, Gun Captain No. 2 Gun.

First Endorsement

U. S. S. Leviathan, April 29, 1919.

From Gunnery Officer To Commanding Officer, Via Executive Officer.

1. Forwarded. Recommended that if the ship is required to furnish a gun crew for the proposed Naval Artillery Brigade, this request be favorably considered. The spirit of the gun crew is especially to be commended.

(Signed) A. H. Bateman, Lieutenant, U. S. N.

The American Artillery referred to was the U. S. Naval Brigade. They served on the Western Front under the command of Admiral Plunkett, United States Navy, and did great credit to themselves and the naval service.

Target Practice

Our first target practice was held November 27, 1917, while returning from our trial trip to Guantanamo, Cuba.

During the time the ship was being prepared for sea at Hoboken, little time was had for drills and preparing the gun crews. However, they were all drilled in their various duties and every effort was put forth to get them in shape.

The practice was held in a choppy sea with a stiff wind blowing and an overcast sky, making it difficult to pick up the targets—two spars, so weighted as to make them float upright. Despite this handicap and the newness of the crews, an excellent score was made.

Score

Shots fired, 78; hits made, 63; percentage of hits, 75.42 per cent.

This good shooting called forth the following note of commendation from the Gunnery Officer to all gun crews.

U. S. S. Leviathan, December 7th, 1917.

Memo from Gunnery Officer To All Gun Crews:

The Gunnery Officer is highly pleased with the results of the late target practice. Such accurate firing in action would almost surely put a submarine out of action in short order, and if we are ever called upon to fight for our lives, the Gunnery Officer is confident that the Gun Crews will bear themselves as calmly as they did a few days ago and shoot as accurately.

(Signed) G. H. Boucher, Lieutenant, U. S. N.

Our second target practice was held June 5, 1918, while on our way from Brest, France, to New York. Spotters who had had no previous experience at actual spotting were picked to control the gun fire and made an excellent showing.

Score

Shots fired, 38; hits made, 28; percentage of hits, 70.62. Gunnery Officer, Lieut. A. H. Bateman, U. S. N.; Chief Umpire, Lieut. R. H. Jones, U. S. N.

The third and last practice was held on our way from New York to Brest, France, on October 4, 1918. We had unfavorable conditions as to weather and visibility. A high wind and a large swell on the starboard quarter rendered the ship a most unsuitable gun platform. The speed was twenty knots. However, it proved valuable because of the difficulties to contend with. In this practice, as in the second practice, new spotters were put in control of guns in order to gain experience.

Score

Shots fired, 32; hits made, 18; percentage of hits, 51.66. Gunnery Officer, Lieut. A. H. Bateman, U. S. N.; Chief Umpire, Lieut. R. H. Jones, U. S. N.

Submarine Attacks

The submarine attacks and alarms are described in detail in Part II of this book. See the following dates: May 6, 1918; May 30, 1918; June 1, 1918; June 25, 1918; September 2, 1918; October 31, 1918.

F. I. Collup, Chief Gunner’s Mate, U. S. N.

The Electric Plant

W. S.

Lieutenant W. H. F. Schluter reported for duty July 29, 1917. The electrical plant at that date was in charge of Mr. Joe. O’Donnell, head electrician, Navy Yard, New York. The civilian force were scattered over the ship, tracing out and locating circuits. This was a most difficult procedure because there were absolutely no plans of circuits nor any descriptive matter of electrical apparatus.

On August 13, 1917, the first Navy electrician reported for duty and a few days later more reported. As soon as enough electricians reported, the civilian electricians were relieved from dynamo watch. Next the entire communication, lighting and power details were taken over by the Navy electricians, both regular and reserve.

When these details were arranged the Navy Yard electricians were relieved from the maintenance of the plant and attended to new installation and repair work only. It was at this point where actual headway was made in preparing the plant for sea, for under the former arrangement the Navy Yard electricians could not devote their entire time to repair work and new installation without being called off their job every little while.

The co-operation between the civilian and enlisted electricians was splendid and too much credit cannot be given to these two classes of men. It was fine to see the spirit that prevailed, for both were anxious to get the ship ready for sea. To say that this called for good hard work, hour after hour and day after day, is putting it mildly.

To describe in detail just how all this was accomplished would fill a book in itself, but it may be grouped under the following heading and then each group described in general terms.

Lighting, Ventilation and Interior Communication

The first problem was light. To solve this so as to be able to have battleship control, it was necessary to locate every light on its proper circuit. There are about fifteen thousand lights, controlled from eighty-one lighting or power stations and each station containing from eighty, the highest, to ten the lowest, local branch circuits, which in turn are supplied from seventy-six main circuit switches and these again from eight main switchboard feeder switches. When this lighting is distributed over fourteen decks, of which the main deck, at sea level, has an area of seventy-six thousand square feet, one may grasp the magnitude of the problem attempted by these men. This had to be completed without any wiring plans and without interfering with the ship’s repair work of other departments.

To crown it all, along came the wreckers. That is, the construction gang who stripped four decks of all room paneling. If it had not been for the alertness and co-operation of the electrical force, both civilian and enlisted, serious fires would have surely resulted. As it was, not a fire alarm was turned in during the entire reconstruction period, due to nothing else except the alertness of these loyal men.

Tracing the Lighting Circuit

During the day the electricians would search out lighting stations, turn off lighting switches, test out circuits and do all minor repair work. At night after the main working force had knocked off, the electricians would muster in primary station number two, main lighting distribution station. Then a main distribution switch of either general lighting, police gangway, or police cabin lighting would be cut off. Emergency lighting was never cut out. The men would then leave in squads and make note of what lighting was cut out and what remained in; and in that manner the lighting control was traced down to such a degree of safety that at dusk all lights that might be visible to the enemy and at the same time provide sufficient lighting for reasonable comfort for the crew and troops could be controlled from one central lighting station and cut out in less than a minute’s time.

The proof of how successfully this was accomplished, is in the fact that during the entire period of the war, only one light was reported visible by the escort and that was due to the carelessness of a young officer who left a port open against orders.

Emergency lighting circuits were picked up by cutting out all general lighting circuits and then marking all remaining lights with a blue stripe. These circuits were then cut down to bring them to a safe carrying capacity of a 110 volt, 140 ampere storage battery, which was installed for additional safety in case of accident. These latter circuits were so arranged that if for any reason the main supply should fail a solenoid would automatically cut them in on the storage battery.

Ventilation

The next problem was the ventilation of the ship. There are 113 ventilating blowers (51 exhaust and 62 supply) and after all blowers were located the problem that remained was to locate the compartment they ventilated. No plans were available. This system was traced out by starting a blower and then tracing up the ducts and recording the particular section that it ventilated.

Interior Communication

All interior communication was traced out in the same manner, i. e., start from the transmitting apparatus and from there on trace the piping and wiring until finally we arrived at the receiving end. Then there were two Anshutz Gyro compasses, which no one knew anything about, but here, again, through the close co-operation of the Navy Yard force and the ship’s electrical force, the secret of operating these compasses was successfully solved.

To sum up the whole, one may say, it was the dogged determination of the electrical forces, both civilian and enlisted, who never gave in to any proposition that came before them, that carried everything through to a successful issue.

Steering Engine Data

E. P. H.

The control and manœuvering of a large ship such as the Leviathan is a responsible job. This vessel’s steering arrangement, or steering gear, is of steam engine type, connected to a hydraulic telemotor. The gear is so easily manipulated that a small boy standing on the bridge of this great ship can control any course or given route that is desired to be taken.

The engines, of which there are two, one port and one starboard, are connected to the rudder head, which is approximately thirty inches in diameter, by meshing into a huge quadrant gear twenty-four feet in diameter. This gear secured to the rudder head or stern is moved right or left, i. e., starboard or port, by a simple turn of a small steering wheel on the bridge. This wheel is connected to the telemotor, which is simply a hydraulic ram of two system pipe lines with plungers set amidships when the rudder, engines, steering wheel and rudder quadrant are in a neutral or center line position. The telemotor is in the wheel house on the bridge approximately 800 feet from the steering engine, which is aft or at the stern of the ship. Two small three-quarter inch copper pipe lines, one port and one starboard, extend from bridge to steering engine room and these little pipe lines are filled with a fluid mixture of fifty per cent glycerine and fifty per cent water. When the hand wheel on the bridge is moved, this forces the hydraulic ram down or up, causing the fluid in pipes to open a control valve on the steam steering engine operating this engine and moving quadrant to right or left as desired.

This rudder and stem and steering engine quadrant are the largest and most powerful installed on any vessel afloat.

The Black Gang

BY ONE OF THEM—H. E.

The fire room boys of the Leviathan came from almost every State in the Union. They worked hand in hand from about August 1, 1917, until the end of the war. The success of the big ship is due to their hearty co-operation. The part taken in the war by the Leviathan is known the world over, and the spirit of the “black gang” merits commendation and a chapter in this book.

While in the dreaded war zone, trip after trip, these boys plugged the fires, day and night, determined to beat Kaiser Bill and fool the submarines. The submarine scare from time to time aroused the firemen and the ship made far greater speed than even the original contractors thought possible. The pressure on the gauges at all times was on the blood mark.

The pass word throughout the fire rooms was: “Give her hell, boys.”

At no time was there a boy or man who showed signs of fear during any run, they had no time to think of “subs.” Speed, chow and liberty in Hoboken was all we thought of. Our work was hard and laborious, but no one grumbled.

Believe me, we had at first some ash-hopper installation. The Germans who installed the outfit in these fire rooms should have been made prisoners before the war started. Water in fire rooms was ankle deep. We were also obliged to use coal from the barrows in charging the furnaces owing to the Leviathan’s goat getter “flarebacks.”

“Split Hoof” Barnes, “Handsome” Hook, “Horse” Ross and Gus Rush, the grouchy old chief water jerkers, made four round trips, before either of them showed signs of a smile. But they were far better off on this ship, wading in water up to their knees, than they would be on many German ships where the crew had to carry the ashes through the main dining saloon to dump over the side. After a few trips with this installation the whole system was thrown on to the Gladstone Dock Piers in Liverpool, and a new style, such as human beings would put in any sea-going ship, was installed. The Germans sure are a funny people!

The fire rooms were touted later and all that was necessary to make the fire rooms complete was a little plush furniture. The boilers shaped up spick and span and the bilges were free from water. With this accomplished real efficiency began. The team work of firing the furnaces on bell signal caused many witnesses to wonder in amazement. Boys who were away from home for the first time stood manfully before the raging fires and defied the intense heat in performance of their duty.

The average weight of these boys when reporting for duty averaged about 130 pounds. Being bright and young, with lots of pep, they grew strong and became efficient firemen. The work seemed to agree with them, even if it was particularly strenuous. In conclusion let us tell about “Wop” Cariddo.

Cariddo was passing coal for seven and ten boilers in number four fire room, as the ship was speeding through the war zone on the 4 to 8 watch, when resting just inside the bunker, one of the destroyers in our convoy, dropped a depth charge just off our port beam. The report and jar of the explosion caused the coal in this bunker to shift. “Wop” was somewhat upset and surprised, but not frightened. He came dashing out of the bunker. Old “Biff,” the “War Horse,” who chanced to be passing through this fire room at the time grabbed him.

“What do you mean by jumping around in this way? Don’t you know that is a water-tight door on G-deck?

“It’s water-tight hell,” shouted the “Wop.” “I think that’s what they call a ‘can,’ but I ain’t bluffed, I’m game. I just want to stay with the boys a minute. Just give me a sandwich and I will heave more coal out of that bunker than any five boilers on this ship can burn”—and he did.

Radio Data

G. A.

No original records or blueprints were found on the ship for the radio equipment when she was taken over by the Navy. This necessitated tracing out each and every individual circuit and making blueprints of the same for future use. All apparatus installed was of German make—Telefunken Wireless Telegraph Company of Berlin. There were three complete telegraph transmitters on board and three receivers. The large transmitter was rated at ten kilowatts and was what is known as an “undamped transmitter.” Under favorable atmospheric conditions it was capable of working across the Atlantic and has been known to do so.

During the three-year period of internment it had been allowed to deteriorate to such an extent that it would have been necessary to practically rebuild it in order to use it again. The main trouble was caused by the salt water cooling system eating its way through a galvanized iron case and getting into the frequency transformer coils making them unfit for use. It has not been used since. The second transmitter, known as a five kilowatt quench gap set, did excellent work ever since the ship was taken over. It is good for 1,200 miles under fair conditions and has worked 2,200 miles. The third transmitter is a one-half kilowatt spark coil set and can be used from the ship’s power mains for short distances, or in case of emergency (if the dynamos were not working for any reason), it can be used from power supplied by storage batteries. Its radius is about two hundred miles.

Two of the original German receivers were kept, but one was replaced by a later type U. S. Navy receiver. The ship was never out of transmitting communication as the European coast is picked up before the American coast is lost and vice versa. The large transmitting stations of the United States and Europe are copied from any part of the ocean. Honolulu, a high powered station, has been copied while the ship lay in Liverpool, England, a distance of approximately 8,000 miles.

When at sea we had special stations to copy on specified schedules, so that messages to the ship from the United States are copied when the ship is only a few hours from the European ports. These messages are acknowledged after transmitting communication has been established with the United States.

There are three antennæ, or aerials, two used for telegraphic transmission and one for telephonic transmission. All three are used for receiving. The radio telephone set has been installed since the ship was taken over and is an American invention. It is very effective up to twenty miles and has been used to transmit a distance of thirty-six miles from this vessel. It was used during the war for inter-communication among the ships of a convoy or to and from the convoy and their escort, and after the war was used for inter-communication between ships lying in a harbor and the harbor station itself. This eliminates interference with the main harbor station working ships at sea. At the same time it allows the ships in the harbor to work among themselves or communicate with the shore. Prior to the telephone invention this work was done by visual signal when the ships were within visual signal distance with each other or the shore. When not so situated it had to be done by boat, as so many ships using their telegraph would have made it practically impossible for the shore station to work ships at sea on account of the interference. The voice over a radio phone has been proven to be clearer and more distinct than over land line telephones.

On the Leviathan there are three operators and a messenger on duty at all hours of the day and night when at sea. One operator supervises the watch, two are constantly “listening in” with telephones, and one man does the messenger work. Both “listening in” operators copy signals practically all the time when on watch. Each has an antenna and a receiving set of his own and listens on different wave lengths. Two messages may be sent simultaneously, or two received simultaneously, but it is not possible to send and receive at the same time. The two receiving operators sit within a foot of each other, yet it has happened more than once, that while one operator was copying a message from Rome, Italy, at the same instant the other man was copying a message from Balboa, Canal Zone. It is a common occurrence for one operator to be copying a European station while the other copies a United States station. The radio force at present consists of one radio gunner, one radio officer, one chief radio electrician and nine operators.

Upper Row, Left to Right—

Lieut. Comdr. J. W. Ford Lieut. R. S. Skead Ensign H. B. Rowedder

Bottom Row, Left to Right—

Lieut. Comdr. J. Foster Lieut. Comdr. J. J. Jones

The Engineering Department

By Commander Vaughn V. Woodward, U. S. N.

On July 26, 1917, the Commandant ordered me to report to the Vaterland for duty, which I did, and on the above date the vessel was commissioned. When I arrived on board, the engineering department was in charge of the Shipping Board Engineers and personnel. There had also recently arrived about 200 Navy firemen and a few petty officers; this was the total of Navy engineering personnel on board. In company with one of the junior engineers I went below for an inspection of the department. During the next three days all my time was taken up getting my bearings below and the layout fixed in my mind in order to make out a station bill so that I could determine as quickly as possible the personnel required.

The Engineer Officers

Lt. Watson Lt. Miller Ens. Leventhal Lt. Keeser Lt. Kirk Ens. Wilson Lt. Bright

Lt. Lau Lt. Edwards Lt. R. H. Jones Com’dr. Woodward Lt. Andrews Lt. Schluter Lt. Parker

At the end of the third day I conveyed this information to the Captain with the request that he bring pressure to bear on the Bureau of Navigation to send our personnel, both officers and enlisted men, as quickly as possible. The men and officers began to arrive and by August 15th the last officer of the complement had arrived. As each arrived he was put in charge of a station and told to trace out his station, make a thorough examination of the interior of all piping and machinery and submit a report on repairs necessary and estimated time. Most of my time during the day was spent below and the nights were occupied drawing up station bills and handling the office paper work, my only assistant being a reserve yeoman in the service of the Shipping Board. I realized that, even at the expense of time that should be spent inspecting repair work, I must get my organization planned and laid out as quickly as possible, and in operation. By August 5th all station bills and organization had been completed and blueprinted and all officers on board instructed. At this time, on account of report of damage to machinery under repair on German ships by aliens, I organized a secret service force below in an effort to detect any attempts made to inflict damage. I purposely let the report spread around among the civilian workmen that there was a large force of government agents employed among them and also in the crew. This seemed to have the desired moral effect, because during the entire period there was but one case of attempted malicious damage, which was discovered immediately. An attempt had been made to thrust welding wire into both of the L. P. astern turbines through the gauge line holes in the flanges and thus damage the blading.

I will not go into details as to the condition of the machinery, but will indicate some of the work done and the changes made in order to get her ready for sea in the quickest possible time. Most of the changes in design and arrangement were made before her dock trial.

Each piece of machinery and boiler was opened up in all its parts and thoroughly examined for foreign material or damage. While open necessary repairs were made.

The joint on every auxiliary steam and exhaust line at the piece of machinery was broken and steam blown through before attempting to operate the machine: this to free the line of foreign material.

All main, spring and thrust bearings were opened up, examined, cleaned and realigned.

The float of the main thrusts were changed from .006 to .015 inches to conform to U. S. Naval practice.

The rotors and casings of the four astern turbines were all partially rebladed in place in the ship.

The dummy ring and piston were found broken in the port H. P. astern; but these were renewed and machined in place, the jacking engine turning the rotor while a cutting tool was attached to the flange of the casting, thus making a lathe out of the turbine and solving the practically impossible problem of removing the rotor from the ship to be placed in a lathe ashore.

It was found that the impulse stages in this turbine had been the cause of the damage to this dummy, so it was decided to remove the impulse stages entirely, which was done. This decreases the economy of the turbine, but the safety guarantee to the successful operation of this unit so far overbalanced this factor that economy was sacrificed.

The starboard H. P. astern casing had several bad cracks in both top and bottom, and from records on board had not been in use on the last voyage of the vessel. This was in process of being electrically welded when I reported on board. The method in use, however, proved later on test, to give a faulty weld, so that it was decided to cut a deep “V” groove in the cracks and lace with steel studs, the lacing being filled in with the weld, thus giving the weld holding power due to the welding material fusing with the studs. This machine operated successfully during the entire commission of the vessel with no signs of ruptures or faulty welds.

On examination of the main throttles the starboard H. P. astern throttle spool was found to be broken and off the stem. This throttle was renewed and operated satisfactorily.

The system of automatic control of feed pumps in the engine room by float and pressure control was decided on as being highly dangerous, this system was at once removed and hand control of pumps substituted.

After operating for some time it was found impossible to obtain a vacuum that would afford economical operation for a turbine plant. The capacities of the pumps and condensers were computed and checked up and found adequate for the horsepower to be handled. The low pressure system was then tested out by water pressure and every noticeable leak stopped. This however gave us no better results, the best vacuum we could obtain averaging around 27 inches under normal operating conditions. The question of the wet and dry suctions of the pumps was next taken into consideration and it was decided to blank the dry suction off from the condenser and lead it into the wet suction of its own pump. This was done and with the results desired. The vacuum desired can be obtained at all times. With circulating water at forty degrees a vacuum of as high as twenty-nine inches has been obtained. The average vacuum under all conditions obtained since this change is about twenty-eight inches.

Gland Steam Turbine Supply

In order to further increase economy a radical change was made in the method of supplying the turbines with gland steam. As installed, all turbine glands required the use of live steam, which with turbines of such large dimensions, was quite an item. By a simple change in pipe leads and valves, the leak off from the H. P. ahead glands, which formerly led to the condenser, was piped to supply the glands of all astern turbines and the I. P. and L. P. ahead turbines, thus utilizing a three-inch line of steam which was formerly wasted in the condenser. It is believed that this vessel is the only vessel afloat that uses this system of gland steam.

The above concludes briefly a history of the major items of alterations and repairs in the engine rooms.

In the fire rooms, all boilers were opened up and thoroughly cleaned and all zincs removed. My attention was first attracted by several burned boilers and next by the elaborate system of automatic feeding of each individual boiler by means of floats, levers, valves, etc. This system was at once dismantled, removed from all boilers and scrapped. I then heard reports that the Germans had experienced great trouble with leaky tubes at the back ends of the boilers. Trams were at once made and accurate measurements taken on the expansion of the boiler between upper and lower drums on raising steam. This was found to be quite excessive and greatest between the back ends of the drums. After several experiments and deductions from results obtained, it was decided to remove the short circular internal feed in the front end of the steam drum and fit a standard Navy internal feed pipe running the entire length of the drum. This was done in all boilers and the expansion was reduced about eighty per cent. Since her commission we have never had to reroll a leaky boiler tube. From commissioning to Nov. 11, 1918, there has been a total of 7,198 boiler steaming days, or an average per boiler of 156.5 days of 3,756 hours. Great care was exercised in the cleanliness of the boilers and boiler water. No pits or corrosion have been found in any part of the boilers.

On the first trip overseas great difficulty was experienced in steaming, all boilers were in use and 144 revolutions per minute was about the maximum speed we could maintain for any length of time. There was an excessive amount of clinker formation covering the grate bars. On diagnosing this trouble and consulting standard works on combustion, air required per pound of fuel, etc., it was decided that the grate bars did not have sufficient air space. From computations made, a new grate bar was designed with an increase in air space over the old of thirty-five per cent. Our troubles in this line at once ceased, and our trip home was made at 151 revolutions per minute with forty-six boilers in use. Later we used thirty-eight to forty boilers for as high as 154 revolutions per minute.

We experienced a great deal of trouble with the side brick walls of the furnaces the first two trips, which required the renewal of about 4,000 bricks each voyage. On being notified that we would be required to start making quick turn-arounds on the next voyage, I realized that this could not be done with such an amount of brick work to be repaired. After many conferences while at sea, we finally decided to tear all the brick work out of one boiler and substitute cast iron liners, shaped to fit the drums and punched with holes for ventilation. This idea proved highly successful. All boilers were immediately fitted likewise and all operated successfully. Besides the elimination of the expense for the purchase of bricks and cement, the labor and time of cleaning furnaces was reduced ninety per cent. All that is necessary for cleaning and repairing furnace walls at the present time is one man and a corn broom.

The steaming efficiency has been greatly hampered at all times by the flow of water over the fire room floor plates, due to the faulty design of the German ash ejector. After many attempts to remedy this by altering the design, we were finally compelled to replace the hoppers with new hoppers of the See type.

There was at all times a great deal of trouble experienced in carrying over water from the boilers to the turbines. The water in the boilers was carried at the lowest level consistent with safety, but in spite of this the trouble still continued. On inspection of the main steam lines and boiler steam drums it was found that they were practically bare of lagging. All these lines and drums were immediately covered with two-inch of magnesia eighty-five per cent pure, and all water trouble was then eliminated. The water level in the boilers was also raised from two to four inches, thus giving a greater factor of safety here.

After several trips we noticed that the uptakes were excessively hot and also that at times torching occurred at the stack tops. This being a menace to the safety of the ship in the war zone, it had to be remedied. After examining the uptake, furnaces and path of gases we decided to alter the baffling. This was done by installing flame baffles at the base of the uptake in each boiler. It not only eliminated the torching, but also decreased the amount of soot formation about fifty per cent.

This includes all the major items of the fire rooms. A few general items follow:

An interesting phase of our overhaul was the method of conducting our dock trial, after all repairs and tests to individual main and auxiliary machinery had been completed. It was realized that it was out of the question to attempt to turn the engines over at a speed which could be called a fair trial, for the reason that there was no mooring that could possibly hold the ship at the dock. After lengthy conference with officers, it was decided to break the tail shaft couplings and jack the tail shaft aft about two inches to clear the line shafting. This was done on each shaft and we ran each engine individually for 4 hours up its designed speed 180 revolutions per minute, then in manœuvering combination to full speed, 119 revolutions per minute, then all four shafts in cruising combination up to 180 revolutions per minute. The dock trial proved a success from start to finish, no casualty of any kind occurring. In this connection, in order to get a test on the boilers, No. 1 fire room was used the first day of the trial, No. 2 the second day, No. 3 the third day, and No. 4 the fourth day.

During the period between August 15th and October 16th, I can safely say that the officers and men of the department averaged every day, Saturdays and Sundays, included, eighteen working hours below without complaint or murmur. It seemed to be a matter of great pride and determination with them. We had heard many reports that the Vaterland would never leave the dock, and many letters came threatening some officer or man in the department. Of the men and petty officers we were compelled to work with, I should say that twenty per cent of them had never been on board a ship previous to their reporting here. They were all recruits direct from recruiting rendezvous, with the exception of a few C. P. O.’s who came from the fleet. During all our overhaul and repair we had no plans to guide us, all lines and arrangements had to be traced out by the officer concerned, who submitted sketches to me. These sketches have been forwarded to the Bureau of Steam Engineering.

We found three logs made by the Germans on the Vaterland. These logs, I believe were forwarded to Washington, but to the best of my memory the speeds on these three trips averaged for the entire voyage 22.4, 21 and something over 20 knots, with an average coal consumption per day of about 1,100 tons, running up to about 1,157 for one voyage. The present consumption of this vessel at 20 knots is 816 tons per day east bound, and 720 west bound. West bound we use Welsh coal. We have never steamed at 22 knots for any period long enough to obtain a point.

Going to Liverpool on a trip during an emergency she maintained a speed of 181 revolutions per minute for a short period of time until a slow bell was received.

Since the war service of the vessel started until November 11, 1918, the Leviathan has never had an engineering casualty of any description, nor has the ship been delayed due to any cause in the engineering department.

The Medical Department

By Dr. Dunlap

The Medical Department is represented by the Senior Medical Officer, Commander F. A. Asserson, M. C. U. S. N., four Junior Medical Officers with the rank of Lieutenant each, one Chief Pharmacist, one Pharmacist, two Chief Pharmacist’s Mates, and about one hundred and thirty Hospital Corpsmen. There are also eight nurses, in charge of Miss Mary M. Robinson, Chief Nurse, U. S. N. The units composing the Department are as follows: Office of the Senior Medical Officer; office of the Medical Officer of the Day; Major and Minor Operating Rooms; Laboratory; Sick Officers’ Quarters of ten beds; Medical and Surgical Wards with one hundred and thirty-two beds; Isolation Ward with forty beds; total, one hundred and eighty-two beds; Diet Kitchen; two Sick Call Stations; Dispensary; Mental Ward; Guinea pig houses.

The history of this department dates from July, 1917, when the first medical officers, Drs. F. J. Carroll, and E. M. Hudson came aboard. These officers, both Lieutenants in the U. S. Naval Medical Corps, were on duty at the U. S. Naval Hospital in Brooklyn when our government assumed control of the Leviathan, and they were ordered to report aboard for duty. The vessel at that time being just as the Germans had left her. Drs. Carroll and Hudson at once began tentative plans for a medical department capable of handling the sick among the thousands of troops the Leviathan was being rapidly fitted to carry. Plans were drawn by them converting the social hall on A-deck into wards and operating rooms. The orchestra stage at the forward end of the hall was to be cut away, lowered to the level of the deck and that space utilized as two operating rooms with a sterilizing room. Wash rooms, toilets, linen lockers, and an Isolation Ward were also provided for. Places fore and aft were chosen as sick call stations and Dispensary.

Center Picture: Left to Right—“Our Navigators”

Lieut. J. L. Beebe, Lieut. Com. H. C. Cunningham.

Bottom Picture, Left to Right—Dr. J. E. Porter, Dr. T. C. Hemingsen, Dr. F. A. Asserson, Dr. W. F. Rathbun, Dr. H. F. Howell, Dr. E. F. Crofutt, Pharmacist F. B. Redman.

The Leviathan Nurses

On August 9, 1917, Commander John J. Snyder, M. C. U. S. N., reported aboard as the first Senior Medical Officer. The plans for the medical department were submitted to Dr. Snyder and to the Naval Constructor, and were later adopted by the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery. Before the first trip three more medical officers reported, viz: Lieut. Commander G. T. Vaughan, U. S. N. R. F., Lieut. Max M. Braff, M. C. U. S. N., and Lieut. S. Strauss, M. C. N. N. V., so that on the first trip there were five medical officers, besides the Senior Medical Officer. After the trial trip to Cuba the Leviathan went to Liverpool. The amount of work was found to be too much for the number of doctors, and upon returning to the States another Medical Officer was requested. Lieut. A. K. Dunlap, M. C. U. S. N., was sent aboard in February, 1918, so that on the second trip seven doctors were aboard. On subsequent trips into New York, Lieut. Robt. Lorentz, M. C. U. S. N., Chief Pharmacist C. I. Campbell, U. S. N. R. F., and Lieut. Edward Crofutt, M. C. U. S. N., were sent aboard for duty. During the month of May, 1918, Commander Snyder left to assume his new duties as Fleet Surgeon, and his position on board as Senior Medical Officer was assumed by Commander H. A. May, M. C. U. S. N. Lieut. Harold Hulbert, M. C. U. S. N., and Pharmacist F. B. Redman also joined the ship about the same time. Later in the summer the medical corps was further strengthened by the addition of Lieuts. Harry L. Howell and John E. Porter, U. S. Navy Medical Corps. In December, 1918, Dr. May was detailed to duty ashore and the duties of Senior Medical Officer assigned to Commander F. A. Asserson, M. C. U. S. N. Lieuts. Walter L. Rathbun, Thos. Sheppard, and A. T. Weston, M. C. U. S. R. F., reported at the same time. As new officers reported on board from time to time, others were relieved and detailed elsewhere. For the greater part of the time since the ship has been in commission the medical department has had nine doctors on board.