After her maiden voyage beginning May 14th, 1914, Vaterland, the second in Albert Ballin's 'Big Three' was the largest ship in the world. With her impressing bow figure, she was a sight to behold. Sadly though, her fate with the Hamburg-Amerika line was not in Ballin's hands. After only 7 voyages, she was ordered to stay in New York on July 31st. Britain declared war on Germany 5 days later on August 4th, with Vaterland at her Hoboken docks. For three years she stayed there, her crew unsure exactly of what to do while Ballin tried desperatly to 'neutralise' her and use her to take releif supplies to Belgium, although the New York Times claimed she was planning to make a run to German waters with 10,000 German sympathisers ready to go to war with Britain. The band still played songs for people nearby in order to raise some releif funds however, and as the waters of the Hudson froze and then melted, she still wouldn't move.
Finally, the United States declaired war on Germany on April 6th, 1917. The Vaterland was still in New York. Not impounded, but still awaiting orders. The massive liner was taken over by the United States, 300 crew members kept at Ellis Island were offered American Citizenship, and a crew went about the task of converting her to a troop ship.
American Preident Woodrow Wilson personally renamed her Leviathan and in 19 voyages managed to carry over 100,000 troops to war. On one voyage, she carried over 14,000 men, more people on one ship in a single crossing than ever before recorded.
At the end of the war, the US Navy had no further need for her. Much of her former glory had disappeared, but her life was far from over. |
