SS Kroonland SS " Kroonland was an ocean liner for International Mercantile Marine ( IMM ) from her launch in 1902 until scrapped in 1927 . " Kroonland " was the sister ship of and a near sister ship of and of the same company . " Kroonland " sailed for IMM ' s Red Star Line for 15 years , and also sailed for IMM ' s American Line and Panama Pacific Line . During World War I , the ship served as United States Army transport USAT " Kroonland through April 1918 , and as the Navy auxiliary USS " Kroonland " ( ID - 1541 ) from April 1918 to October 1919 . Announced by the Red Star Line in 1899 , " Kroonland " was completed in 1902 by William Cramp and Sons of Philadelphia . When launched , she was the largest U . S . steamship ever built . " Kroonland " sailed from New York City to Antwerp on her maiden voyage in June 1902 , beginning service on the route she would sail for the next twelve years . According to " The New York Times " , " Kroonland " became the first ship to issue a wireless distress call at sea when she radioed for help during a storm in 1903 . In another radio first , " Kroonland " heard the " first real broadcast of history " in December 1906 . " Kroonland " was one of ten ships that came to the aid of the burning liner in the mid - Atlantic in October 1913 . Despite stormy seas , " Kroonland " was able to take aboard 89 survivors , for which captain and crew received accolades that included U . S . Congressional Gold Medals . When the outbreak of World War I in August 1914 disrupted service to Belgium , " Kroonland " shifted to alternate routes . On a trip to the Mediterranean in October 1914 , " Kroonland " was detained by British authorities at Gibraltar , and part of her cargo was confiscated amidst diplomatic wrangling between the then - neutral United States and the United Kingdom . During a chartered circumnavigation of South America in February 1915 , " Kroonland " became the largest passenger ship to date to transit the Panama Canal . " Kroonland " was placed in New York – Panama Canal – San Francisco service until a landslide temporarily closed the canal to navigation . Returned to transatlantic service , " Kroonland " was one of the first U . S . ships armed by the Navy for defense against German submarine attacks . In May 1917 " Kroonland " was struck by a torpedo , which failed to detonate and only slightly damaged the ship . After the United States entered World War I , " Kroonland " served as a troopship for the U . S . Army and Navy . She made six trips carrying troops to France before the Armistice and eight voyages after , transporting nearly 38 , 000 troops in total . Returned to IMM in late 1919 , " Kroonland " was scorched in a shipyard fire in January 1920 while she was being refitted for passenger service . The liner resumed North Atlantic service in April , remaining there until returning to New York – San Francisco service in 1923 . " Kroonland " inaugurated IMM ' s winter New York – Miami service from December 1925 to March 1926 , but was laid up in Hoboken , New Jersey , when IMM did not resume the Miami service the following year . The ship was sold and scrapped at Genoa in 1927 . Design and construction . In July 1899 , the Red Star Line announced plans for the construction of four large ocean liners . Two ships , " Kroonland " and , were to be built at William Cramp and Sons in Philadelphia , and the others , and , at John Brown & Company of Clydebank in Scotland . By April 1901 , the two Scottish - built ships were completed and in service for Red Star , with the construction of the American pair well underway . " Kroonland " and the virtually identical " Finland " , at each , were slightly larger than " Vaderland " and " Zeeland " . The American pair were the largest steamships built in the United States at the time of their launch , and were the highest tonnage civilian ships ever built by William Cramp . " Kroonland " was long ( pp ) and abeam , with a molded depth of . Her hull was steel and nearly all the rivets were set with pneumatic rivet guns . " Kroonland " was propelled at up to by twin triple - expansion steam engines . The engines were each rated at and had cylinders of , , and with a stroke . There were nine single - ended coal - fired Scotch boiler s with a heating area of , a grate area of , and an operating pressure of . " Kroonland " had eleven watertight compartments with reinforced bulkheads , and was designed to remain afloat with up to two compartments flooded . " Kroonland " s coal bunkers surrounded the boilers , to offer limited protection in case the ship was used in wartime . The area below the main deck could carry up to of freight and stores . " Kroonland " s water tanks could carry of fresh water . Refrigerated storage was provided for meats and other perishables . Third - class passenger accommodations were located on the main deck : three compartments for men located forward , and a single compartment for families at the rear . The family compartment had state room s containing either two , four , or six bunks . All compartments had well - lighted dining areas and wide hallways that led to lavatories and sanitary facilities on the upper deck . The upper deck housed facilities for officers and first - and second - class passengers . A long forecastle contained the accommodations for the crew and petty officer s , as well as a hospital and the third - class lavatories . First - class staterooms for 106 passengers were located close to the middle of the ship . To their rear , between the funnel s , was the first - class passenger dining room , spanning the width of the ship . With seating for 208 , it featured mahogany furniture and satinwood paneling with inlays , and a glass skylight ceiling that extended up through two decks . Beyond this area were the galleys , sculleries , and pantries that served all passenger classes . Moving further aft , the second - class passenger dining room , which could accommodate 120 diners , was next . It , too , spanned the width of the ship and featured mahogany furniture , but was paneled with tapestry upon a cream - colored ground . Beyond the dining area were cabins for 76 second - class passengers . A long bridge deck amidships contained state rooms for another 204 first - class and 120 second - class passengers . In the rear was a deck house that contained a social room for third - class passengers . A promenade deck was located above and was permanently enclosed by a boat deck , where " Kroonland " s 20 steel lifeboats were stowed . The promenade deck housed the library and smoking room for first - class passengers . " Kroonland " was launched on the afternoon of 20 February 1902 in a small , informal ceremony . Mrs . Rodman Griscom christened the ship , but " Kroonland " did not budge on the launching way ; cold weather had frozen the tallow used to grease the timbers . Hydraulic jack s eventually freed the ship for her plunge into the Delaware River . Red Star Line service , 1902 – 1914 . " Kroonland " sailed on her maiden voyage from New York to Antwerp on 28 June 1902 . " Kroonland " remained on New York – Antwerp service for the next twelve years . In these early years of service , she was involved in two radio firsts . After the steering gear failed west of Fastnet Rock during a moderate gale in early December 1903 , the ship ' s crew was able to communicate their predicament via Marconi wireless system , becoming , according to one contemporary news account , the first ship in distress ever to use wireless . " Kroonland " put in at Queenstown , Ireland , for repairs , and transferred her passengers and freight to ships of the White Star Line , another IMM subsidiary . The other radio first came on 24 December 1906 , when the ship ' s wireless operator heard — rather than the expected dots and dashes of morse code — the voice of a woman singing . The singing was followed by a recording of Handel ' s " Largo " , a poetry reading , and more music played from phonographs . The steamer was on the receiving end of what journalist and author Robert St . John called the " first real broadcast of history " , originated by early radio pioneer Reginald Fessenden from Brant Rock in Massachusetts . During her time on the New York – Antwerp route , " Kroonland " was frequently battered by the storms that were typical in the North Atlantic . In November 1904 , a Brussels news agency reported a rumor that the ship had foundered in a mid - ocean storm . The report — proved false when " Kroonland " safely docked in New York — received wide coverage in the American press . While in a heavy December gale , the ship was struck by what contemporary news accounts referred to as a " tidal wave " as high as the tops of her funnels . The wave crashed over the deck , and brought the ship to a standstill . A Belgian passenger ' s leg was broken when he was thrown into a wall , and a crewman on watch in the crow ' s nest was sent tumbling to the deck below with only minor injuries . In another December gale in 1907 , one of the two propeller shafts on " Kroonland " broke while the liner was off the Isles of Scilly . Using the lone remaining propeller , the liner was able to make her way back to Southampton , where two tugs brought her into port . Passengers were transferred to to continue their transit to New York , while " Kroonland " entered drydock at Southampton . Fitted with a new shaft , she sailed — without passengers and cargo — for New York , where she arrived on 2 January 1908 . In February 1910 , severe winter storms on the North Atlantic extended one of " Kroonland " s westbound trips , delaying her arrival in New York by three days . In May , " Kroonland " broke another propeller shaft , and again headed to Southampton for repairs . Not all of the ship ' s mishaps were storm - related . In late April 1911 , " Kroonland " allided with the breakwater in Dover Harbour , disabling the steering gear , and delaying the ship by a day . On 8 January 1913 , " Kroonland " ran aground in Ambrose Channel during a heavy fog while outbound from New York . It took more than six hours for tugs to free the liner from the soft mud . The Red Star Line changed " Kroonland " from American to Belgian registry on 6 November 1908 in Antwerp . One reason given for the change was to allow Red Star to hire non - American crews at lower cost . She made her maiden voyage under the Belgian flag the next day . In May 1911 , " Kroonland " s crew , acting on rumors of an impending British mariner ' s strike , refused to sign on for the ship ' s next voyage , forcing Red Star to hire a replacement crew . International Mercantile Marine submitted a bid for a ten - year contract for " Kroonland " and " Finland " to carry U . S . mail between New York and San Francisco after the opening of the Panama Canal . By law , only U . S . - flagged ships could carry U . S . mail under contract . It was also anticipated that U . S . - flagged vessels would receive preferential treatment for canal tolls . In a short ceremony aboard the liner in New York Harbor on 27 December 1911 , the Belgian flag was lowered and the American flag was raised to the playing of " The Star - Spangled Banner " by the steamer ' s band , shortly before she sailed for Antwerp . " Volturno " rescue . At about 06 : 00 on 9 October 1913 , , a Royal Line ship under charter to the Uranium Line , caught fire in a gale on the North Atlantic . The crew fought the fire for about two hours , but , realizing the severity of the fire and the limited options for dousing it in the high seas , Captain Francis Inch of " Volturno " had his wireless operator send out SOS signals . The westbound " Kroonland " , already beyond " Volturno " s location , turned east to aid the burning liner . In the meantime , several of " Volturno " s lifeboats with women and children aboard were launched with tragic results : all those aboard the lifeboats were killed as the boats capsized or were smashed by the hull of the heaving ship . In all , ten ships heeded the distress calls , arriving throughout the day and into the next . " Kroonland " arrived at about 17 : 00 , and by 20 : 00 had launched a lifeboat with a volunteer crew . The boat was unable to get close to the burning liner . " Kroonland " s lifeboat returned at 22 : 30 with an exhausted crew and the one person who had dared to brave the jump into the stormy water . Captain J . C . Barr of , the first ship to arrive , took command of the rescue effort . Barr had the vessels form a " battle line " of sorts and slowly circle the burning ship , while his ship kept a searchlight on " Volturno " and another sweeping the ring of rescue ships to help them avoid collisions . Despite " Carmania " s efforts , " Kroonland " and the French Line steamer almost collided , coming — according to one passenger — within of impact . " Kroonland " s lifeboat , manned by a fresh crew , headed back out and returned with 13 steerage passengers . On board " Volturno " , the crew and some of the male passengers , unable to extinguish the fire , were at least able to keep it from spreading to the aft cargo holds , over which the others on board were gathered . Shortly before dawn , a large explosion — probably of her boilers — rocked " Volturno " , and the rescuers felt that the ship , which had not been in imminent danger of sinking up to this point , might founder at any time . The tanker " Narragansett " turned on her pumps and sprayed lubricating oil on the sea to help calm the surface . The combined effect of the oil and the lessening of the storm allowed many more lifeboats to be sent to " Volturno " s aid . " Kroonland " launched two more boats herself and saved 75 more , including Captain Inch , the last person to leave the stricken ship . In all , some 520 passengers and crew were rescued by the ten ships — 89 on " Kroonland " alone . The loss of life was limited to around 130 , mostly women and children from the early lifeboat launchings . With all boats recovered by 09 : 00 , the liners resumed their original courses . " Kroonland " turned west and continued on to the United States , hampered by a cracked crankshaft that slowed her to . During her slow passage to New York , " Kroonland " s cabin passengers drafted a resolution honoring Captain Kreibohm and the crew for their actions during the rescue , and raised $ 700 for the benefit of the " Volturno " survivors . " Kroonland " finally docked in New York on 16 October . The crew , like those of the other nine ships involved , received many accolades for its rescue efforts . After sending the ship a congratulatory telegram at the time of the rescue , King Albert of Belgium made Capt . Kreibohm a Chevalier ( Knight ) of the Order of the Crown in January 1914 . At the same time , the Belgian government awarded its Third Class Civic Cross to " Kroonland " s third officer , and First Class Civic Medals to six crewmen and a steward . In March , King George V of the United Kingdom , on recommendation of the Board of Trade , awarded 39 of the ship ' s crew the Silver Sea Gallantry Medal , along with a £3 award . Crewmen from all ten ships received Sea Gallantry Medals , but no other ship had more medals awarded than " Kroonland " . Later in March , the United States Congress honored Kreibohm with a gold watch , " Kroonland " s officers — including Kreibohm — with Congressional Gold Medals , and other crewmen with five silver and 25 bronze medals . In April , the Life Saving Benevolent Association of New York awarded its Life Saving Medal to Kreibohm , four officers , and 35 crewmen . In June 1916 , Kreibohm was presented with the American Cross of Honor by Congressman Henry Bruckner . " Kroonland " resumed her normal New York – Antwerp service until 11 August 1914 , when she arrived at New York with passengers that had narrowly escaped the hostilities beginning to engulf the European continent . Notable passengers . During her pre - war New York – Antwerp sailings , " Kroonland " carried some notable and interesting passengers . On 1 August 1904 , one of the ship ' s passengers arrived in New York as somewhat of a mystery woman . She recounted that she had gone out for dinner in Antwerp and awakened to find herself at sea with only the white silk evening gown she was wearing . Having no money or luggage , she was barred from entering the United States and was compelled to remain on board the ship . After her predicament was reported in " The New York Times " , she received letters and telegrams that included marriage proposals . Her background story and a letter of credit eventually verified her identity , but she was deported after a New York doctor pronounced her insane . Later the same month " The New York Times " reported on first - class passengers ' complaints over privileges for their dogs and the conditions in the kennel aboard the liner . One passenger was determined to have her dog in her state room , and after others joined her in removing canine companions from the kennel , " Kroonland " s crew took all the dogs back to the kennel . Many of the dog owners refused to speak to the others involved for the duration of the voyage . On 27 May 1905 , American author Molly Elliot Seawell sailed for Europe on " Kroonland " on a day when six liners , with over 1 , 500 passengers , departed New York . In October , Helen Taft returned from Europe on " Kroonland " and was met by her husband , Secretary of War William Howard Taft . The next August , Henry Yates Satterlee , the first Episcopal Bishop of Washington , returned on " Kroonland " from a six - week tour of cathedrals of Europe , during which he noted both good and bad design elements of cathedrals in preparation for the building of the Washington National Cathedral . Also returning on the same voyage were Admiral Charles Sperry and Lieutenant Daniel W . Wurtsbaugh of the U . S . Navy , and Brigadier General Robert O ' Reilly , the Surgeon General of the U . S . Army ; all were American delegates to the Second Geneva Convention . It was not the first trip on " Kroonland " for either Satterlee and O ' Reilly . Satterlee had traveled on the liner the previous May to visit the spa town of Bad Nauheim in Hesse ; O ' Reilly had been on the November 1904 trip in which " Kroonland " had been reported as sunk . " Kroonland " was the scene of an attempted murder - suicide in October 1908 . Two acquaintances in steerage had an argument over a young female second - class passenger that both men knew . One man threw a knife at the other — only slightly wounding him — and then fled and jumped over the railing into the English Channel near Dover . U . S . Senator Benjamin Tillman and his wife were aboard the liner at the time and saw the young man jump overboard . Although the ship lowered a boat to look for him , no trace of him was found , and he was presumed drowned . American actresses Kitty Cheatham and Isabel Irving — each married to a different man named " W . H . Thompson " — traveled on " Kroonland " in May 1910 . Alerted to each other ' s presence when mail addressed to " Mrs . W . H . Thompson " was confused , the actresses — old friends , having both worked in the theatre company of Augustin Daly — shared a state room for the voyage . Later that month , the ship was the official " World Missionary Conference Steamship " for delegates and representatives on their way to the World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh , Scotland . Honda Yoitsu , said to be the only Japanese Methodist Episcopal bishop , was among those on the liner when she sailed on 31 May . News accounts reported on some of the unusual activities aboard " Kroonland " during this trip . Among them were morning devotional services held daily in the ship ' s dining room , and the spontaneous singing of hymn s on deck every evening . " Kroonland " was tangentially involved in a more sinister affair in July 1910 . American physician Hawley Crippen and his lover , Ethel La Neve , had fled England after the circumstances around his wife ' s death were questioned . After a body was found in the basement of Crippen ' s North London residence , Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Walter Dew sought the couple for murder charges . One theory had the couple sailing from Dover on " Kroonland " , but when inspected in New York on arrival , Crippen and Le Neve were not to be found . The fleeing couple had instead sailed from Antwerp on the Canadian Pacific liner . Crippen , identified during " Montrose " s crossing , was arrested , convicted of his wife ' s murder , and hanged ; La Neve was acquitted . The American novelist Theodore Dreiser , returning from an extended European tour in April 1912 , briefly considered returning on , but instead sailed two days later on the American - flagged — and less expensive — " Kroonland " . Dreiser recounted the gloomy mood of " Kroonland " s passengers after hearing the news of " Titanic " s sinking , observing that the " terror of the sea had come swiftly and directly home to all " . On " Kroonland " s next return trip to New York , Horst von der Goltz , a self - described German secret agent , eluded German authorities by working as a steward in steerage aboard the liner . American Line service , 1914 – 1915 . With the German invasion of Belgium in early August 1914 , " Kroonland " was switched to New York – Liverpool service . After two circuits on that route , IMM announced that the ship would be moved to service in the Mediterranean to attract business to offset that lost because of the war . Sailing from New York on 15 October for Gibraltar , Naples , and Piraeus , " Kroonland " became what IMM called the first large , American - flagged steamer " to engage in trade with the far corners of the Mediterranean " . Along with passengers , the ship carried a cargo of rubber and of copper destined for Italy . On 28 October , British authorities detained the ship at Gibraltar . Because neutral Italy did not restrict the shipment of copper ( which could be used in war munitions ) to Germany or Austria - Hungary , the British claimed the right to detain the ship — a claim disputed by the U . S . State Department . " Kroonland " was allowed to resume her journey on 8 November after the copper and rubber were unloaded and taken to a prize court . The ship arrived at Naples on 11 November , then completed the rest of her Mediterranean trek . Returning to New York , she carried the new minister from Bulgaria to the United States , arriving on 4 December . IMM had advertised that " Kroonland " would sail the Mediterranean route again in December , but the liner was removed from the route . In late January 1915 , " Kroonland " departed on a business tour of South America under charter to the American Trade Tour Company . The tour was designed as a showcase for American companies hoping to expand into South America , and " Kroonland " circumnavigated that continent , traveling over in 82 days . During the voyage , the liner docked at various ports where businessmen or trade representatives , like the Babson Statistical Organization , made sales pitches and showed films of factories to potential customers aboard " Kroonland " . During this South American foray , the ship sailed westbound through the Panama Canal on 2 February , becoming the largest passenger ship to transit the canal to that date . Also on the trip , while transiting the Straits of Magellan in late February , " Kroonland " passed British cruiser refueling from a collier , and , on 26 February , when entering the harbor of Punta Arenas , Chile , passed the departing , on the hunt for the German cruiser . " Kroonland " returned to New York on 14 April . Panama Pacific Line service , 1915 . In May 1915 , " Kroonland " and sister ship " Finland " were chartered to the Panama Pacific Line for the long - planned service between New York and San Francisco via the Panama Canal . " Kroonland " departed from New York for California on 22 May and counted 50 honeymooning couples and a large cargo of flour from St . Paul , Minnesota , among her payload . The intercoastal trip took about 17 days each way and the ships called at either Los Angeles or San Diego on eastbound and westbound trips . With two ships on the route , one ship departed from either New York or San Francisco about every three weeks . The service was marketed as the ideal manner to visit the Panama - California Exposition in San Diego and the Panama - Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco . At the San Francisco exhibition , a detailed model of " Kroonland " was one of ten that comprised a part of IMM ' s exhibit in the Palace of Transportation . Frequent and progressively worse landslides in the canal disrupted " Kroonland " s and " Finland " s service . In August 1915 , " Kroonland " s arrival in New York was delayed a day by a Gaillard Cut slide . In early September , both ships were delayed ten days while waiting for the canal to be dredged after another slide . In early October , another landslide in the Gaillard Cut — this one in excess of of mud and dirt — closed the canal , and it was expected that it might remain closed for as long as ten months . " Kroonland " was en route to the canal from San Francisco , while " Finland " was at the canal ' s eastern terminus , Colón . After " Kroonland " arrived at the canal ' s western end at Balboa , the two liners exchanged passengers — including former First Lady Helen Taft and her daughter , Helen — by rail across the isthmus . American Line service , 1915 – 1917 . The delay caused by the October slide in the Panama Canal created uncertainty for the immediate future of " Kroonland " . Her sister ship " Finland " was transferred to a New York – London route almost immediately after the canal ' s closure , but " Kroonland " was " trapped " on the west side of the continent . By early November , " Kroonland " — loaded with cargo destined for the United Kingdom , and sailing under the banner of the American Line — departed San Francisco for London , via the Straits of Magellan . On 21 December , the liner arrived at Rio de Janeiro after having run aground , but was found to be undamaged . Continuing on to London , " Kroonland " departed for New York on 30 January 1916 . Although plans were announced in mid 1916 for the two sister ships to return to the Panama Pacific Line , and to add the Hawaiian port of Honolulu to the canal route , both ships remained in North Atlantic service . On 20 February , " Kroonland " , continuing to sail for the American Line , returned to New York – Liverpool service after an absence of 18 months . As a ship of the still - neutral United States sailing in a war zone , " Kroonland " had her name painted in large letters on each side of her hull . The name was flanked on either side by large American flags and kept illuminated at night . In June , she carried US $ 1 , 500 , 000 of Argentine gold from London for deposit with the Guaranty Trust Company of New York . On late 1916 , a cook aboard " Kroonland " was arrested for smuggling feathers , wings , and heads of birds of paradise and crowned pigeons . The man , who was paid $ 300 for each load of feathers , smuggled in at least three loads of the avian contraband before his arrest . In January 1917 , a jumble sale held in the saloon on " Kroonland " raised £73 15s 11d for " The Times " Fund , for the benefit of the British Red Cross and the Order of St . John . While returning from Liverpool in early February 1917 , passengers and crew on " Kroonland " witnessed the German U - boat sink the Dutch ship " Gamma " off the Irish coast . On 1 February 1917 , at around 15 : 30 , passengers and crew saw the German submarine overtake and stop the Dutch freighter . At about 16 : 15 , the U - boat , by then on the far side of the Dutch ship and out of view from " Kroonland " , fired three shots from her deck gun . " Gamma " immediately began listing to port and sank within five minutes . " Kroonland " was less than away , and was prepared to rescue the crew of the sunken ship , but stopped when the German submarine took " Gamma " s lifeboat in tow . Four days later , a suspected submarine was seen off " Kroonland " s port side , and there were other reports of a ship that passengers took to be a German commerce raider or submarine tender . Because Germany had again on 1 February , " Kroonland " was laid up for almost two months at the American Line piers in New York , along with sister ship " Finland " and three other vessels . During this forced downtime , " Kroonland " was converted from coal burning to oil burning , a long - awaited modification that had been announced in October 1915 . The conversion reduced the number of stoker s needed from 75 to 12 , lowering " Kroonland " s payroll . Because fuel oil was stored inside the double bottom of her hull , her cargo capacity was increased through the elimination of her coal bunkers . The labor savings and the additional freight revenues from the increased cargo space resulted in a net gain of $ 25 , 000 income per trip . Troopship duties . " Kroonland " served as a troopship for about the next year . In early March , U . S . Navy ordnance officers inspected " Kroonland " and took measurements in preparation to arm her for defense against submarine attacks . On 13 March , she was assigned guns by the Navy , becoming one of the first seven ships to be armed . With her arming complete , and carrying an armed naval guard to man the guns , " Kroonland " sailed for Liverpool on 25 March 1917 . Twelve days later , the United States formally declared war on Germany . On the morning of 20 May , while the liner steamed toward Liverpool through a heavy fog , a torpedo struck her without exploding . Two minutes later her lookouts spotted a submarine bearing down on " Kroonland " so close alongside the liner that her guns could not be depressed enough to open fire on the raider . Although the U - boat , apparently also taken by surprise , reversed her screws and tried to turn to avoid a collision , she lightly struck the liner ' s hull and scraped along her side before diving out of sight . Meanwhile two more torpedoes came within some of hitting " Kroonland " s stern . That afternoon the liner sighted another submarine , surfaced some off her port quarter . " Kroonland " immediately began shelling the U - boat , forcing the submarine to dive for safety . In early June , this failed torpedo attack on the ship made front page news in American newspapers . In September , elements of the U . S . 42nd Infantry Division sailed from New York to Halifax on " Kroonland " . The ship sailed from Halifax on 30 September in an Allied convoy with the American ship and Commonwealth ships ( which had led the " Volturno " rescue in 1913 ) , " Anchises " , " Canada " , " Grampian " , " Ionican " , " Themistocles " , " Victoria " , , " Medic " , " Miltiades " , " Mokoia " , and " Ruahine " . Two days out from Halifax , the last five ships split off from the convoy and headed to Scotland ; " Kroonland " s group sailed to Liverpool . On 15 October 1917 , the requisitioned all American passenger ships over for use by the government in the war effort . Though it is not clear what immediate impact this had on " Kroonland " , it is known that the liner was operating as a U . S . Army transport ( under the name USAT " Kroonland " ) by February 1918 , when she was loaded with materiel and departed New York for Saint - Nazaire , France . In April , the assigned " Kroonland " to the transport fleet , and after her return from France on 9 April , she was converted to a troop transport in New York by the William J . Kennedy Company . A typical conversion from passenger liner to troop transport involved having all of the second - and third - class accommodations ripped out and replaced with berths for troops . Cooking and toilet facilities also had to be greatly expanded to handle the large numbers of men aboard . U . S . Navy transport duties . After problems with crew discipline aboard Army transports and when they were torpedoed , the U . S . Navy , led by the recommendations of Rear Admiral Albert Gleaves , insisted that all troop transports be manned entirely by Navy personnel . This was accomplished soon after , to avoid the need for what Gleaves called " ignorant and unreliable men " who were " the sweepings of the docks " . Accordingly , " Kroonland " was handed over to the Navy on 22 April and commissioned the same day , with Commander Manley H . Simons in command . Transporting troops to France . USS " Kroonland " was assigned to the Cruiser and Transport Force after being commissioned . The ship departed New York on 30 April with the transports , , and " Finland " . and — two transports that sailed from Newport News , Virginia — rendezvoused with " Kroonland " s group . provided the convoy with protection until its arrival in France on 12 May . " Kroonland " returned to New York on 1 June . " Kroonland " next left New York on 15 June with " Finland " , , , , , the Italian steamer , and the British steamer " Vauban " and met up with the Newport News portion of the convoy — consisting of , , , , and the British troopship ( another fellow " Volturno " rescuer ) — the next morning and set out for France . The convoy was escorted by the cruisers and , and the destroyers and ; the battleship and several other destroyers joined in escort duties for the group for a time . The convoy had a false alarm when a floating barrel was mistaken for submarine , but the otherwise uneventful trip concluded at Brest on the afternoon of 27 June . On 10 July , as " Kroonland " steamed homeward from France , a lookout spotted a periscope rising from the water about away . " Kroonland " opened fire and the fourth shot from her No . 4 gun " burst with a tremendous cloud of dirty blue smoke " exactly on the periscope . The submarine zig - zagged " erratically back and forth until she was directly in the disturbed water " of " Kroonland " s wake . The transport continued firing until the submarine disappeared , leaving an oil slick which could be seen for at least 15 minutes . " Kroonland " arrived safely in New York on 13 July . On 26 July , " Kroonland " , loaded with 3 , 248 officers and men , departed on her next trip to France . In the company of " Finland " and the Italian steamer , she met up with , , and the Italian steamers and from Newport News . The cruisers , , and destroyers and escorted the transports . Gordon Van Kleeck , a private in Company F of the U . S . 51st Pioneer Infantry , one of the units aboard " Kroonland " on this trip , recorded his day - to - day activities in a journal . He stated that the soldiers wore overalls rather than uniforms , and were required to wear life jackets at all times . During the early mornings , the most dangerous time for submarines according to Van Kleeck , the soldiers had to stand by their life rafts until the sun was completely up . Bathing facilities were too small , so several times during the trip the soldiers gathered on deck for salt water baths , which consisted of a hose turned on them by the ship ' s crew . On 2 August , " Finland " developed engine trouble and fell back from the convoy , but by the next day , she and a destroyer that stayed with her had rejoined the convoy . The convoy arrived in Brest on 7 August , and " Kroonland " arrived back in the United States on 19 August . After embarking 3 , 334 soldiers , " Kroonland " began her next crossing on 30 August when she sailed from New York with " Susquehanna " , and to join the Newport News contingent of " Duca d ' Aosta " , " Caserta " , and . " Kroonland " s convoy was escorted by " Frederick " and " Colhoun " . As with other Navy ships throughout 1918 , " Kroonland " was not immune to the worldwide Spanish flu pandemic . On this particular crossing , two of her crewmen were felled by the disease as her convoy reached France on 12 September . " Kroonland " returned to New York on 27 September . At 20 : 00 on 7 October , " Kroonland " departed New York on her fifth Navy voyage with 2 , 567 men . She joined " Caserta " and the British steamer " Euripides " in rendezvousing with , " Susquehanna " , " America " , and " Czar " from Newport News . The cruisers and and the destroyers and " Fairfax " served as convoy escorts for the group , which arrived in France on 20 October . " Kroonland " arrived in New York on 3 November , and was in port when the Armistice was signed on 11 November . In total , " Kroonland " carried 14 , 125 troops to France during the five trips of her Navy career . Returning troops home . At war ' s end , the task of bringing home American soldiers began almost immediately . " Kroonland " did her part by carrying home 26 , 152 passengers in eight trips . The ship departed from Brest in late November with her first load of nearly 2 , 000 wounded and convalescing soldiers , many of whom were from the U . S . 76th Infantry Division . The former liner arrived at the Quarantine Station on 10 December 1918 , and docked in New York the next day . One of the men aboard was Captain Walter Camp who had been wounded and gassed in the Meuse - Argonne Offensive ; Camp was the son of the Yale University football coach of the same name . Another passenger on board was Sarah Wilmer , an American YWCA front - line worker who had become lost in the Argonne forest and gassed when a German shell exploded nearby . Before departing on her next voyage , " Kroonland " hosted a party for 150 newsboys from New Jersey at her Hoboken , New Jersey , pier on Christmas Day . With a Christmas tree in the troops ' mess , the newsboys were treated to a dinner and entertainment by the ship ' s band , and all received presents . " Kroonland " arrived at Newport News on 18 February with 2 , 805 passengers , including units from the U . S . 36th Infantry Division , after a rough trip from Saint - Nazaire . On her next voyage , she carried another 2 , 943 officers and men from Saint - Nazaire to Newport News , arriving there on 24 March . The 132nd Regiment of the 61st Field Artillery Brigade returned on the ship , and brigade historian Rex F . Harlow called " Kroonland " " probably the best vessel on which any units of the brigade returned to America " . On 18 April , " Kroonland " began her next homeward journey , embarking several companies of the 111th Infantry Regiment of the U . S . 28th Infantry Division among the 3 , 100 troops carried . Though the fighting was over , the men still wore life jackets for the first three days at sea amidst fears of striking floating mines . George W . Cooper , historian of the 2nd Battalion of the 111th Infantry , reported that some of the men had to serve as stokers during the trip because of a " shortage of help " . In the middle of the crossing , the ship " sprung a leak " and took on of water ; she had a list for a day or so , until repairs were made . The troops later disembarked at New York on 29 April . " Kroonland " returned to Saint - Nazaire in May and loaded Major General Joseph E . Kuhn and some 3 , 000 men of his U . S . 79th Infantry Division , which included the 304th Engineer Regiment , and departed France on 18 May . The band of the 304th Engineers gave concerts on deck every evening on the voyage home to entertain the men . Though initially bound for Newport News , " Kroonland " s crew received orders in mid ocean to head instead to New York , where they arrived on 29 May . After completing another passage to Newport News in late June , " Kroonland " sailed on 19 July with 3 , 642 passengers — including officers , men , thirteen war bride s , and one war baby — from Saint - Nazaire , in the final transport departure from that port before it was closed as a port of embarkation by U . S . military authorities . Among the passengers was Brigadier General Samuel D . Rockenbach , the founder of the United States Tank Corps . On 21 August , the announced that " Kroonland " would be released from government service after surveys for repairs had been completed . After leaving New York on 10 August , the ship was in the middle of what would be her final trip returning soldiers . After arriving at Brest , 1 , 532 officers and men boarded " Kroonland " for New York , where the transport arrived on 10 September . Also on board was Michael Gilhooley , a 15 - year - old stowaway making his fourth unsuccessful attempt to sneak into the United States aboard a Navy transport . The ship was decommissioned and returned to the on 13 September , and returned to International Mercantile Marine shortly thereafter . In her eight trips returning troops , " Kroonland " — affectionately called the " Empress of the Seas " by her crew — averaged just under 39 days per turnaround , beating the overall average of all ships by almost a full day , and edging out sister ship " Finland " by less than that . Red Star Line service , 1920 – 1923 . After her return to International Mercantile Marine ( IMM ) , the ship underwent a refit at the W . & A . Fletcher Marine Works yard in Hoboken that outfitted her for 242 first - , 310 second - , and 876 third - class passengers . On 8 January 1920 , while " Kroonland " was still under repair , the American Line ship , berthed next to her at the Fletcher yard , caught fire . In the multi - alarm fire , firefighters believed that " St . Louis " was a lost cause , and so focused their efforts on saving " Kroonland " . At one point , " St . Louis " heeled over and leaned on " Kroonland " but the only resulting damages were scorch marks on her side . " Kroonland " resumed her civilian career in April 1920 , sailing once again for the Red Star Line on the New York – Antwerp route . She sailed from Pier 61 on the North River opposite sister ships " Finland " and " Zeeland " and the newer until early 1923 . Rough weather on the North Atlantic took its toll on " Kroonland " while sailing this route . A storm off Sable Island in December 1920 was so intense that the liner was only able to travel during one 24 - hour stretch and nearly exhausted her fuel supply . When the liner arrived in New York , tugs were required to tow her from the quarantine station to the pier . Heavy seas in another storm in October 1921 broke " Kroonland " s port propeller shaft past Sandy Hook . She returned to New York at and transferred most of the passengers to " Lapland " . Another eastbound crossing four months later was marked by almost continuous gales with winds up to ; the liner arrived at Plymouth covered in ice and snow . " Kroonland " was also involved in several non - weather - related events . On 12 November 1920 , after departing Antwerp for New York , she collided with a Dutch tug in the Scheldt , killing two of the tug ' s crew . In March 1921 , a Czechoslovakia n woman gave birth to fraternal twins on board the liner shortly after she and her husband sailed from Antwerp . Because the twins were born on a U . S . - flagged vessel , they were automatically American citizens . On 10 June 1922 , " The New York Times " reported that Charles Simmons , " Kroonland " s Chief Steward , was found dead in his bunk . Crewmen aboard the ship , which had been docked in New York since 4 June , said Simmons had been seen on deck in apparently good health the day before . The medical examiner nevertheless asked police to investigate , because it appeared to him that Simmons had been dead for three to four days . During an August eastbound crossing , " Kroonland " stood by for two hours after receiving a report of an explosion and fire on , some behind . The gas explosion in one of " Adriatic " s forward cargo holds killed five crewmen and seriously wounded three others . It also spawned a fire that was quickly extinguished and left little damage . Offers of help from ten liners ( including " Kroonland " ) were politely declined and " Adriatic " arrived in New York three days later . In October , U . S . Federal judge Learned Hand issued a restraining order preventing the Prohibition - related seizure of alcohol aboard " Kroonland " , " Finland " , and " St . Paul " . IMM had sought the order to enable her to continue to carry Italian third - class passengers ; Italian law required a minimum number of a ship ' s crew to be Italian , with Italian wine of at least 12 % alcohol provided for them . " Kroonland " also carried some notable passengers during her time on this route including a majority of the U . S . delegates to the International Chamber of Commerce for its meeting in Paris in June 1920 . Among those on board were Myron T . Herrick , former U . S . Ambassador to France ; Paul M . Warburg , former member of the Federal Reserve Board ; and 14 current and former directors of the United States Chamber of Commerce . Dr . Samuel Eyde , the newly appointed Norwegian Minister to the United States , sailed for his diplomatic post in December on " Kroonland " . On the same trip , Max Goldberg , a 14 - year - old flower delivery boy , returned from an accidental roundtrip , begun in New York when the gangway was raised and the ship departed while he was making a last - minute delivery . Four of the United States ' seven delegates to the 19th Inter - Parliamentary Union Convention in Stockholm — Congressmen Alben W . Barkley and Edwin B . Brooks , and Senators Thomas J . Walsh and William B . McKinley — returned on " Kroonland " in September 1921 . Passengers were not the ship ' s only cargo during this time . The New York press reported on gold deposits carried to the United States on the liner several times on the Antwerp route . In a storm - tossed December 1920 voyage , for example , she carried $ 1 , 650 , 000 in gold , and the following June she carried £100 , 000 gold to the Equitable Trust Company in New York . Another notable cargo arrived in New York in November 1922 , when " Kroonland " brought of cheese from Switzerland . The shipment was said to be the first big shipment from that country since before World War I . A more unwelcome cargo was carried in March 1921 , when a Hungarian immigrant in steerage was found to have typhoid fever . Discovery of the disease necessitated that all 731 steerage passengers be quarantined indefinitely . " Kroonland " began her last voyage on the Antwerp route in January 1923 , after which she underwent a refit during the first half of 1923 . The ship was converted to cabin - and third - class passengers only , and was painted white . In preparation for her announced return to the Panama Pacific Line in October 1923 , more refrigeration and cool air space were added for transporting Southern California agricultural products . After this refit , the ship was briefly assigned to the American Line for three roundtrips on a New York to Hamburg route , with intermediate stops at Plymouth and Cherbourg . On her first Hamburg trip , she carried American comedic actress Florence Shirley and her husband , headed for a European vacation . Cecil Arden , a mezzo - soprano with the Metropolitan Opera , and botanist Otto Warburg sailed on the same trip . Panama Pacific Line service , 1923 – 1925 . In April 1923 , IMM announced that " Kroonland " and sister ship " Finland " would be returned to the Panama Pacific Line beginning in late September , sailing from New York to San Francisco via Havana , the Panama Canal , and Los Angeles , with Los Angeles being the west coast hub of operations . On 18 October , " Kroonland " departed on her first voyage on the route since 1915 . " Kroonland " arrived in Los Angeles Harbor on 3 November amidst fanfare , becoming the largest liner to date to enter that harbor . In contrast to her time on the North Atlantic , " Kroonland " encountered few weather or mechanical delays on the coast - to - coast route . In December 1923 , however , the ship was delayed one day by unusually heavy seas and gales off Baja California . Another delay in October 1924 proved to be fatal , according to the ship ' s physician . An arrival two days late , caused by adverse currents north of Panama , cost a female passenger her life . Had the ship not been delayed , the physician believed , prompt hospital care could have saved her . On this same trip , " Kroonland " passed through a " hurricane zone " but was not adversely affected by the storm . In December 1924 , the Panama Pacific Line announced that it would add to the New York – California route in February to replace " Kroonland " . Even though press accounts reported as late as March 1925 that " Kroonland " had sailed her last on the route , she continued carrying passengers and cargo through at least June 1925 because of booming business . Although plans had been announced to convert " Kroonland " and " Finland " to freighters upon the delivery of two new ships ordered for the route in late 1924 , there is no evidence that this was ever carried out . Notable passengers . " Kroonland " carried her share of notable passengers during her second stint for the Panama Pacific Line . On her first voyage , passengers included American Modernist poet Wallace Stevens and his wife , Elsie . After transiting the Panama Canal , the liner headed north along the western coast of Mexico . The ship passed the Gulf and Isthmus of Tehuantepec in early November , inspiring Stevens to later pen the poem " Sea Surface Full Of Clouds " . First published in the July 1924 issue of literary magazine " The Dial " , it was later included in the 1931 edition of Stevens ' " Harmonium " . Each of the five stanzas begins with the line " In that November off Tehuantepec " and is a different portrayal of the surface of the sea . The poem has been called one of Stevens ' " most persuasive statements of the imagination ' s powers " , and considered " the most perfect example of a ' pure poem ' " . Other notable passengers included Brooklyn Dodgers shortstop Ray E . French , who sailed with his wife to their home in California on the same voyage as Stevens . California artist William Barr , American author Frederick O ' Brien , and actress Mary Carr all sailed on " Kroonland " in December 1923 . In February 1924 , Daniel Willard , president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad , sailed from New York to Los Angeles . Acknowledging that the Panama Canal had " detract [ ed ] volumes of freight " from railroads , Willard said that there was no cause for alarm because the railroad business was booming . In January 1925 , Gene Byrnes , creator of the comic strip " Reg ' lar Fellers " , sailed from New York to Los Angeles with his wife . On the same voyage , University of Southern California president Rufus B . von KleinSmid boarded " Kroonland " at Panama after attending the Pan - American Scientific Congress in Lima . In mid - June the same year , short story author and screenwriter H . C . Witwer and his family returned to New York aboard the ship . American Line service , 1925 – 1926 . In October 1925 , the American Line announced plans for the liner to sail on a weekly New York – Miami route . " Kroonland " , supplanted of the Admiral Line as the largest ship in Miami service , and sailed from Pier 62 in New York on Thursdays , arrived and departed Miami on Sundays , and returned to New York on Wednesdays . Though " Kroonland " s passenger capacity was potentially much larger , she was outfitted for 500 passengers in first class only . She sailed on her first voyage with 400 passengers , including American professional golfer Gene Sarazen , on 10 December . By the time the seasonal service to Miami ended in late March 1926 , " Kroonland " had carried 11 , 000 passengers on the route . Though plans were announced for the liner to resume the route the following winter , this did not happen . IMM offered no reasons , but conditions in Miami at the end of 1926 were very different from the previous year . The wild South Florida real estate boom had collapsed in mid 1926 , and the Great Miami Hurricane struck on 18 September , killing more than 325 and leaving as many as 50 , 000 residents homeless , while causing some $ 100 million damage ( just over $ 2 billion in 2005 dollars ) . With no place to put the aging ship , IMM laid up " Kroonland " in Hoboken . The ship was later sold to shipbreakers in Italy and departed the United States for the last time on 29 January 1927 . After delivering a cargo of grain to her old homeport of Antwerp , she was taken to Genoa and scrapped . According to an Associated Press report , " Kroonland " had completed 234 voyages totaling during the course of her career without serious accident .