New-York tribune., 1921-06-11
Biggest ge Ship i'm
w orid Sold ait
S4,OOO,OOO
British Government Aids
Merchant Marine With
Sale at One fifth of
the Cost of Replacement
Opportunity in Leviathan
Shipping Board Has Chance
to Give This Country the
Finest Yes el Ahoat

The prices at which the British gov
ernment sold the giant ex-German
liners Imperator and Bismarck to the
Cpuard and White Star lines respec-
lively. have been announced. The for
mer vessel, now the Berengaria, was
DISPOSED of for sS50,o00 (about S3,4o0,-
600 at recent exchange values), and
the latter boat, now known as the Ma
jestic, for 100000 Cor about $4,000
000(.
How the British government has
acted to strengthen the British mer-
chant marine in these cases is evident.
To reproduce either of these vessels at
present construction costs would entail
an outlay of more than 100000 900, and
the return on the investment under
conditions existing to-day would not
Justify the expenditure.
Britain Aids Ner Marine
By turning the ships over to lines
ynder the British flag at about one-fifth
Of the replacement cost of the vessels,
however, the British government makes
their operation at q profit possible, and
adds TO the active British merchant ma
rne two of the three biggest ships in
the world Even on the pre-war basis
OF costs, the Imperator represents an
outlay of about 100000, and the
Bismarck would have cost about $12,-
100000.
Through the Leviathan, formerly the
Vaterland, the third of the worlds larg
est ships, the United States govern
ment, shipping men point out, has an
opportunity to strengthen the new
,,,,I flo
same time to put or the seas under the
American flag the finest vessel ahoat.
That the disposition of the Leviathan
will be one of the early matters taken
UP by the new Shipping Board is eX
pected. She is now lying at her dock
in Hoboken.
The sixteen 535-foot liners and the
seven 522s constructed by the Shipping
Beard are to be operated in the trans
Atlantic and trans-Pacific services by
private companies under ALLEGATION
from the Shipping Board. To recondi-
tion the Leviathan in q manner that
would make her the best equipped liner
n the world, it is pointed out, would
cost comparatively little more than it
has TO build single one of the 535s or
522s.
Leviathan Stands Alone
In size the American merchant ma
rine has no liner half as big as the
Leviathan. The biggest of the other
ex-German liners held by this country,
the George Washington, is 25,570 tons
gross. while the Leviathan is $4,000
tons. Excluding the ex-German vessels,
the largest liner under the American
flag is the Minnesota, of 20,602 tons.
BY reconditioning the Leviathan and
turning her over for ALLEGATION to a
private American company, as is being
done with the 535s and 522s, shipping
men say, not only would the American
merchant marine be strengthened in
its weakest point, lack of large passen-
ger vessels, but the United States would
have ship fitted to compete with any
Of the five giant liners under British
registry, the Majestic, Berengaria,
Olympic, Aquitania and Mauretania.
The experience Of the American Line
in handling large vessels is regarded as
making that company the logical OPP
orator for the Leviathan, which could
crly be run in the transatlantic trade
nroftahly