Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1918-07-05
LsVtGthGn Home After Fighting
OF I6 U.BOGts.

S@~~-@s
o1 Tor his country as seaman on tn
Leviathan. The following account of
"Trip OF this, the largest ship evet sfioa
is taken from q New York paper. am
an Idea can be gathered from it as I,
what q rich prize to Germans regart
her.
Marked with submarine battles
that lasted in all more than two
DAYS and nights, the last trip
made by the transport Leviathan,
formerly the Vaterland Of the
Hamburg-American line, was the
most eventful to be reported
from any of the ships that have
been carrying Americas troops
to the battle front.
In spite of the fact that her
progress was continually ham.
pered by U-boat attacks, in which
the mighty vessel and her con.
voy of "chasers" fought off in
all eighteen submarines, sinking
five of them, the trip, was made
in record time. The Leviathan
accomplished the round trip in
seventeen days, two of which
were spent in a French port,
making at times a speed Of 26
knots per hour.
The big troopship left port with
her crew prepared to meet the
submarines, having been warned
that Won Tirpitz's tin fish"
feet was out to get them. When
she was nearing the French
coast on the eastern trip four u
boats attacked her in the early
evening. After lodging a school
Of torpedoes the big boat and
her convoy opened a Terrific fire
on the undersea boats and caused
them to submerge. After sue
cessfully beating off the attack
ers the Leviathan landed her
complement of 1900 troops at a
French port.
Although the danger of large
loss Of life was not 50 great on
| the astdrn trip the u boat COM
mandars, seemingly ranked by
their failure to sink her on the
way over made increased efforts
to send the Leviathan to the bot
tom. The Germans are appar-
emily straining every effort to
sink their former prize passenger
ship. Right outside of the
French port the boat was at
tackled by a fleet of nine SUBJ
marines. Torpedoes went past
both bow and stern Of the boat
and shell fire from the undersea
craft fell all around her.
It was on this occasion that the
gunners on the transport and
conveying vessels showed their
worth. One of the Germans
had no more than come to the
surface and opened fire than the
stern gun of the Leviathan
roared and a high explosive
pierced the plates of the U-boat
and it sunk. It is thought that
FIVE of the submarines that were
in the engagement were sent to
the bottom.
The morale of Uncle Sans
sea-fghter's was indicated by
the behavior of the crew in the
action. While the gunners were
throwing shell after she'll into the
fleet of U-boats, the entire crew
disregarding the danger came on
deck and cheer after cheer went
up as the gunners registered a
hit. Officers, telling the story of
the trip. say that the men acted
as if they were cheering at a COL
lege boat race and not witnessing
one of the heaviest engagements
an American troop vessel has en-
tered.
AS soon as the transport got
clear of the subs" she set out at
"full speed ahead" without be-
ing able to stop to pick up sew
eral members of the crews of the
submarines who were seen strug-
CLING in the water after the boats
had gone down. The French
waters were so full of SUBJ
marines that it was necessary
for the Leviathan to carry her
French pilot to the American
port to avoid the danger that
would follow any stop.
AS far as could be learned no
casualties resulted to Americans
from the battles and the mighty
ship is safe in her home port.
SenaratOr-A DeLaysl Cream separatcr No;
for al paor in n lpon