Leviathan: The World's Largest Ship?

The Leviathan began life as HAPAG’s Vaterland, the second in a trio of liners intended to be the largest and most luxurious in the world.  Beginning with Imperator (1912), HAPAG was competing directly with White Star’s Olympic-class (1911) and Cunard’s Aquitania (1913), but also a new French flagship, the France (1912).  These were ships competing to be the most luxurious—in all classes (compared to other ships).  Mauretania and Lusitania would be unchallenged for speed, but outdone in splendor.

Leviathan. 1:1250 model by Mercator.  1:1250 tugboat by Hansa.

Unlike Cunard, HAPAG had no subsidy to build or operate the vessels and paid for the ships from their own profits.  Each in turn would be the largest in the world when they debuted.  A few statistics are mindboggling:  14,000 napkins used on each crossing, 45,000 pounds of meat, 100,000 pounds of potatoes, and of course, 28,000 liters of German beer.  The similar-sized Aquitania had a crew of 970, but 1,234 men and women manned Vaterland.  Her eight kitchens employed 60 chefs, and as a coal burner, she needed 400 stokers and trimmers—the most on any liner.

 Vaterland was launched in April 1913 and entered service in May 1914.  She saw very little service and as war erupted in Europe, Vaterland was laid up in New Jersey. 

When the United States entered the war, the Vaterland was seized by the US Navy and converted to a troopship.  She was renamed U.S.S. Leviathan and was the largest troopship in the world. The doughboys referred to her “Levi Nathan” and she was special to them because she carried them safely.  Some would choose to sail on her again as civilians after the war.

USS Leviathan in a dazzle camouflage pattern, off New York City, 8 July, 1918. Original found at: http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/h51000/h51392.jpg

In 1919 the Allied reparations committee divided the German liners among the victors.  For the loss of Lusitania, Cunard received Imperator.  White Star received the unfinished Bismarck (the third of the HAPAG trio) for the loss of Britannic.  The United States did not have a “super liner” lost to the war, but did lose many merchant vessels.  Since the Navy operated Leviathan as a troopship, she remained with the U.S. 

USS Imperator (later Cunard's Berengaria) at left, and USS Leviathan at Hoboken, New Jersey, probably after Imperator's first trans-Atlantic voyage as a U.S. Navy ship Source=http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/174080.htm

William Gibbs, the naval architect who later designed the United States was in charge of the massive project to refurbish Leviathan for a newly re-organized United States Lines.  HAPAG and Blohm & Voss refused to provide Gibbs with the builders plans without paying the hefty fee of $1,000,000 (hurt pride, no doubt).   Unwilling or unable to pay, Gibbs and his team study the ship in detail and figure out the arrangements themselves. 

The fine lines of Leviathan.

When she is ready for passenger service in 1923, she was truly a different ship.  USL marketed Leviathan as "the world's largest ship" for a time and supported this boast with US tonnage measurements of 59,000 tons.  By European measurements, she was closer to 54,000 gross tons, and therefore she was smaller than White Star Line's Majestic, also advertised as the world's largest.  Competition was one key to success along with innovation.  She was among the first major liners converted to oil and outfitted with up-to-date tourist class cabins.   Some of her German features remained, such as the Pompeian style swimming pool, and the Ritz-Carlton managed restaurant, but most of her public rooms were restyled to match the jazz age and American tastes: such as cinemas, dance floors, and soda fountains.  She had a magnificent winter garden, shopping arcade, and immense dining saloons in each class.   But what was most obviously missing was a bar.  Prohibition was law of the land and Leviathan was an extension of the United States.

The Ritz-Carlton restaurant, circa 1923.

As a “dry” ship, many passengers were turned off.  Leviathan was plagued throughout her life with low passenger numbers, financial trouble, and no comparable vessel to pair with her sailing schedule.  She was one of a kind in the USL fleet.

Three of the largest vessels in port.  Leviathan in Southampton with Olympic (ahead) and Aquitania (left).
Photo inspired by an archival image, taken from the forecastle of Leviathan in 1924.

Leviathan fell victim to the Great Depression and was removed from service in 1934.  She was laid up in Hoboken, New Jersey until sold for scrap in 1938.  At the time, few foresaw that war was coming and she would have been a valuable troop or hospital ship.

 

SS. Leviathan Built by Blohm & Voss Shipbuilders, Hamburgm Germany for HAPAG as Vaterland (1913-1914).  For United States Lines, Leviathan (1918-1938): 59,956 Gross Tons (48,932 by British measurements), 950 feet long, 100 feet wide.  Steam turbines geared to quadruple screw.  Service speed 23 knots.  3,008 total passengers (940 first class, 666 tourist class, 1,402 third class).