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UNITED STATES NAVY
TEMPORARY AUXILIARY SHIPS
WORLD WAR I
TEMPORARY AUXILIARY SHIPS
WORLD WAR I
Online Library of Selected Images:
-- CIVILIAN SHIPS --
S.S. Leviathan (American Passenger Liner, 1914).
Originally the German S.S. Vaterland
S.S. Vaterland, a 54,282 gross ton passenger liner, was built at Hamburg, Germany, as the second of a trio of very large ships for the Hamburg-America Line's trans-Atlantic route. When completed in the spring of 1914 she surpassed her slightly older near-sister, S.S. Imperator, as the World's largest ship. Vaterland held this honor until 1922, when the last of the three big German liners, the 56,551 gross ton Bismarck, was delivered after a long delay and almost immediately became the British liner Majestic. The three ships' design emphasized luxury and comfort over speed, though their 23-knot service speed was fast enough for the North Atlantic trade. Vaterland had made only a few trips when, in late July 1914, she arrived at New York just as World War I broke out. With a safe return to Germany rendered virtually impossible by British dominance of the seas, she was laid up at her Hoboken, New Jersey, terminal, and remained immobile for nearly three years.
In April 1917, when the United States entered the war, Vaterland was seized and turned over to the U.S. Navy, which placed her in service later in the year as USS Leviathan. In October 1919, she was transferred to the U.S. Shipping Board and again laid up at Hoboken until plans for her future employment could be determined. These finally materialized and, in April 1922 the ship steamed to Newport News, Virginia, where she was completely renovated to suit American tastes and post-World War I standards. As S.S. Leviathan, she was the "queen" of the United States' merchant fleet, and operated in the trans-Atlantic trade into the early 1930s. She was not profitable, however, and, with the execption of several months of additional service in 1934, Leviathan was inactive until early 1938, when she made a final Atlantic crossing to Scotland, where she was broken up. No U.S. flag commercial ship approached her size until 1952, when the S.S. United States was completed.
This page features, and provides links to, all the views that are available concerning S.S. Leviathan and S.S. Vaterland.
For other images related to this ship, see:
Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.
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Photo #: NH 103156 S.S. Vaterland (German Passenger Liner, 1914) Arriving at New York City on 29 July 1914, three days before Germany's declaration of war on Russia began World War I. In 1917, following nearly three years of war-enforced inactivity, this ship became USS Leviathan (ID # 1326). Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation, Washington, D.C. Collection of Captain Cyrus R. Miller, USN. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 55KB; 740 x 495 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 54700 German Passenger Liners and Freighters Interned at their piers at Hoboken, New Jersey, on 4 April 1917, two days before the United States declared war on Germany. In the foreground is the stern of a U.S. Navy destroyer, which is keeping watch on the ships. The piers are those of the Hamburg-America Line (left center) and the North German Lloyd Line (right center). The large ship at left is S.S. Vaterland (later USS Leviathan). The four-funneled liner in right center is probably S.S. Kaiser Wilhelm II (later USS Agamemnon). Note the 3"/50 gun on the destroyer's after deck. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 80KB; 740 x 565 pixels |
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Photo #: None German Passenger Liners and Freighters Photographed at their piers at Hoboken, New Jersey, on 22 April 1917 after confiscation by the U.S. Government. The unidentified tug may be keeping watch on the ships. S.S. Vaterland (later USS Leviathan) is to the right of Pier 2 of the Hamburg-America Line. The ship on the left is probably S.S. Pennsylvania (later USS Nansemond). Source: Shipscribe. |
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Photo #: NH 43553 S.S. Leviathan (American Passenger Liner, formerly German S.S. Vaterland of 1914) Steaming out of New York Harbor, circa the mid-1920s. The Manhattan skyline is in the background. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 77KB; 740 x 550 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 103130 S.S. Leviathan (American Passenger Liner. Originally the German Vaterland of 1914) Underway during the 1920s or 1930s, probably in French waters. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 60KB; 740 x 535 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 103129 S.S. Leviathan (American Passenger Liner. Originally the German Vaterland of 1914) Halftone reproduction of a photograph taken during the 1920s or 1930s. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 62KB; 740 x 490 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 41867 S.S. Leviathan (American Passenger Liner, formerly German S.S. Vaterland of 1914) Photographed from an aircraft, while underway at sea during the 1920s or 1930s. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 92KB; 740 x 615 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 65023 S.S. Leviathan (American Passenger Liner, formerly the German Vaterland of 1914) Leaving New York Harbor, 21 July 1934. Donation of Franklin Moran, 1967. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 80KB; 740 x 610 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 65024 S.S. Leviathan (American Passenger Liner, formerly the German Vaterland of 1914) Steaming out of New York Harbor on 21 July 1934. Donation of Franklin Moran, 1967. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 90KB; 740 x 620 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 51399 S.S. Leviathan (American Passenger Liner, formerly the German S.S. Vaterland, 1914) Halftone reproduction from a contemporary newspaper, showing the ship steaming down the Hudson River, off Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1938, bound for Scotland to be scrapped. Its title, "They'll Tear Her Tattered Ensign Down" is a reference to Oliver Wendell Holmes' poem opposing the proposed scrapping of USS Constitution in 1830. This ship was USS Leviathan (ID # 1326) in 1917-1919. Courtesy of CWO2 John A. Steel, USN. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 124KB; 740 x 605 pixels |
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Note: Photo # NH 94 was originally identified as showing Leviathan. However, it actually is a photograph of her slightly older near-sister ship, Imperator, as a close examination of both ships' superstructures will reveal.
For other images related to this ship, see:
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