The sun., 1919-06-12
TRANSPORT HIT
BY FREIGHTER
Graf Waldersee Rammed 38
Miles Off Sandy Hook,
Outward Bound.
OTHERS STAND BY HER
Engine Room Reported Fill
ing After Collision-Has
Crew of 500.

The United States Army transport
Graf Waldersee, one Of the seized Ger
man steamships taken over by this
Government, was rammed late last
night as miles Off Sandy Hook by the
Shipping Board freight steamship
Redondo.
Wireless messages to the army and
navy headquarters in Hoboken an
nounced the accident and said that the
big transport Leviathan and the L. 8.
s. Patricia were standing by the Graf
Waldersee. The Graf waldersee left
Pier l, Hoboken. at $50 last night and
was bound for Brest. The Redondo is
understood to have been on her way
into New York.
At o'clock this morning a wireless
report from the Graf waidersee to the
commandant of the local naval district
said the passengers and crew OF the
transport were being taken OF by the
Patricia and requested that tugs be
sent Immediately. The engine room and
fire room. OF the Graf Waldersee were
7 flooded, this message said. but It was
believed the transport would remain
| afioat. In view OF this report the re-
quest for tugs was interpreted as indi-
eating they were wanted TO tow the
! injured vessel back to this port.
Army records showed that the nine
army passengers aboard the Graf Wal
dersee were Col. Frank @. Mauldin.
Coast Artillery; Lieut.-Col. Robert o.
Edwards, Coast Artillery: Major Joseph
c. Haw. Coast Artillery; Major James
Longstreet, cavalry; Capt. Guy r.
! Doane. Quartermaster Corps; First
Lieut.. Thomas B. Steel. infantry Second
Lieuts. Charles r. Gildhart. John II.
Lewis and Hugh A. Palmer. all OF the
Field Artillery.
| No details OF the damage to the trans
port were contained in the early reports,
| which explained that there were only ten
.passengers on board the Graf Waldersee.
She is in command Of Commander Ker-
\ rick. She has crew Of about 500
Nine OF the passengers were army men
and one a navy man. At army head
quarters In Hoboken, however. II waf
explained that practically ALL of the sol.
diers and army officers leaving here last
night went on board the transport Won
Steuben. which left Hoboken at :46
Just before the Graf Waldersee go'
/ under way.
The Graf waldersee is a steel twin
screw liner. 1898 tons displacement
She Is one OF the crack boats Of the
Hamburg American Line, and was built
in Hamburg in 1898.
The Redondo Is one Of the boats the
Bethlehem Ship Corporation turned out
last year for the United States Shipping
Bodrd She Is a steel single screw ship
OF about 4.114 tons displacement
The commandant Of the local nava
district reported to the Navy Depart
ment early this morning that the Grai
waldersee was not In serious danger
Tho Navy Department announced alst
that reports received there indicated
also that several more vessels besides
the Leviathan and the Patricia wer,
standing alongside the rammed trans
J port
This was the Graf waidersee's irs
trip as an American transport. Aftei
she was turned over by the Germans sh'
received preliminary repairs and arrived
here on June 2. coming from Brest with
! a ioed OF American soldiers Then sh'
was held here for repairs. which wer'
completed a few days ago, along with
general overhauling.
Before the war sealed UP Germany
commercial Aeet the Graf Waldersee wa,
on. OF the nagships of the Hamburg
American Line. She Is not new to col
lisions, for in 1915 she rammed anC
sank the steamship Norge in the Elb'
, River. She passed formally into posses
. sion Of the United States as a transport
on March 81.