HUGE AMERICAN TRANSPORT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16763, 1 February 1918, Page 5

HUGE AMERICAN TRANSPORT

GERMAN LINER CONVERTED A. and N.Z. PARIS, Jan. 30. It is announced that % the Leviathan, formerly the Vaterland, has arrived at a European port carrying thousands of American soldiers.

The Leviathan, formerly the HamburgAmerican liner Vaterland, is a six-decked steel quadruple-screw steamer of 54.282 tons gross. Her dimensions are: Length, 907 ft; beam, 100 ft; depth, 58ft. She was launched on April 4, 1913, and prior to the war was engaged in TransAtlantic traffic. She carried a crew of 1100, and had accommodation for 4000 passengers, At the time of her launching she was the largest ocean liner afloat. She was in New York at the outbreak of war, and remained in safety in the neutral port. When relations between the United States and Germany were broken off the Vaterland was ono of those vessels damaged by the crew prior to their seizure. The Vaterland was stated at the time of her conversion into a transport to be capable of carrying 20,000 troops. It was decided, however, that she, would not be called upon to transport this number in view of the submarine danger, and her ultimate capacity was mado something over 8000.