Published in commemoration of the centennial of America's entry into
World War I, the story of the USS Leviathan, the legendary liner
turned warship that ferried U.S. soldiers to Europe--a unique war
history that offers a fresh, compelling look at this epic time.
When war broke out in Europe in August 1914, the new German luxury ocean
liner SS Vaterland was interned in New York Harbor, where it remained
docked for nearly three years--until the United States officially
entered the fight to turn the tide of the war. Seized by authorities for
the U.S. Navy once war was declared in April 2017, the liner was renamed
the USS Leviathan by President Woodrow Wilson, and converted into an
armed troop carrier that transported thousands of American Expeditionary
Forces to the battlefields of France.
For German U-Boats hunting Allied ships in the treacherous waters of the
Atlantic, no target was as prized as the Leviathan, carrying more than
10,000 Doughboys per crossing. But the Germans were not the only deadly
force threatening the ship and its passengers. In 1918, a devastating
influenza pandemic--the Spanish flu--spread throughout the globe,
predominantly striking healthy young adults, including soldiers.
Peter Hernon tells the ship's story across multiple voyages and through
the experiences of a diverse cast of participants, including the ship's
captain, Henry Bryan; General John Pershing, commander of the American
Expeditionary Force; Congressman Royal Johnson, who voted against the
war but enlisted once the resolution passed; Freddie Stowers, a young
black South Carolinian whose heroism was ignored because of his race;
Irvin Cobb, a star war reporter for the Saturday Evening Post; and
Elizabeth Weaver, an army nurse who saw the war's horrors firsthand; as
well as a host of famous supporting characters, including a young
Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Thoroughly researched, dramatic, and fast-paced, The Great Rescue is a
unique look at the Great War and the diverse lives it touched.
