The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-29
MPERATOR'S LOSS
SHOCK TO BRITONS
Cunard Line Prepared to
Take OUer Steamship.

Rival American and British shipping
men discussed yesterday, each group
from a purely nationalistic viewpoint
the surprising. not to say dumfounding
reversal OF the ALLEGATION of the former
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. liner Imperator,
second largest ship afioat, to the Cunard
line. The Cunard officials here had ex-
ultant confidence that the Imperator
would he in its service this week and
had made preparations for a public
flag raising to-day in the Cunard dock
at the foot OF West Fourteenth street.
Tugs were all ready TO take the great
!, liner from the possession of the author
tiles Of the Port of Embarkatlon at Ho-
boken, under control OF the War De-
partment, when the local office of the
Cunard line received notification from
Gen. F. p. Hines OF the Port OF EN-
barkation that the War Department had
assigned the Imperator to the United
States Shipping Board.
Other German ships that the British
expected to take over were also ordered
returned to the Shipping Board. includ-
ing the Cap Finisterre, Kaiserin Au-
guste Victoria, Zeppelin. Mobile. Graf
Waldersee, Pretoria and Prinz Friedrich
Wilhelm. all OF which are tied up in Ho-
boken All have been in the United
States service as transports and several
were under control OF the Shipping
Board before they were turned over to
the American troop transport service.
Cunard officials did not attempt TO con-
ceal their disappointment and had no
reason to give for the sudden assign
ment of the Imperator and the other
ships TO the Shipping Board.
English opinion was that the assign
ment was only temporary and that the
Cunard Line eventually would come into
possession OF the Imperator and perhaps
some of the other vessels named above
Capt. Smith, formerly OF the Caronia,
had been assigned TO the command OF
the Imperator by the Cunard Line, and
most of her British crew are on the
way here by the steamship Carmania.
This has cost the company something.
as has the announcements OF the sailing
of the Imperator on October II, and
somebody. an official OF the line said
yesterday, would have to pay the bill
No passengers had been booked. but
there was large waiting list.
No officials Of the American Line
cared to talk about the reversion of the
Imperator to American control II was
apparent to shipping folk who have been
in touch with American shipping men
that there Is an expectation that the
American Line will benefit by the hitch
in the turning over of the Imperator
and the other ships to British COM
panies.
One explanation offered for the re-
versal OF the decision. which had been
forecast several months before It was
announced that the Imperator had been
allocated by the Allied Naval Commits
sion at Paris to Great Britain. Is the
recent order of the Interallled Economic
Council to the German Government TO
turn over to Great Britain twelve oil
tankers belonging to a German sub
sidiAry of the Standard OIL Company,
and all owned by American capital II
Is said that the United States Govern
ment had expected these American
owned vessels to be returned to their
owners and that the assignment Of the
German liners il a counter stroke to
bring matters to a climax.
The American Line Is said to be hope
full that 1t will have the Leviathan, a
sister ship, just a bit smaller, to alter
nate with the glantess in transatlantic
trips. The hope Is based on a statement
attributed to j. r. Rosseter, director
of the division OF operations of the Shin
ping Board, who said the ALLEGATION of
the Imperator and the other ships TO
the United States Shipping Board was
permanent and that they would be used
commercially under the American flag
in the trade routes of the world. Great
Britain has oontended that the German
ships were turned over TO the United
States only for the period that they were
to be used as transports and that later
they would revert to the allied pool