SS Leviathan SS Leviathan , originally built as the Vaterland , was an ocean liner which regularly crossed the North Atlantic from 1914 to 1934 . The second of three sister ships built by Germany ' s Hamburg America Line for their transatlantic passenger service , she sailed as the " Vaterland " for less than a year before her early career was halted by the start of World War I . In 1917 , she was seized by the U . S . government and renamed " Leviathan " . She would become known by this name for the majority of her career , both as a troopship during World War I and later as the flagship of the United States Lines . German service . " SS Vaterland " , a 54 , 282 gross ton passenger liner , was built by Blohm & Voss at Hamburg , Germany , as the second of a trio of very large ships of " Imperator " class for the Hamburg - America Line ' s trans - Atlantic route . She was launched 13 April 1913 and was the largest passenger ship in the world upon her completion , superseding , but later being superseded in turn by the last ship of this class , , the later . " Vaterland " had made only a few trips when , in late July 1914 , she arrived at New York City just as World War I broke out . With a safe return to Germany rendered virtually impossible by British dominance of the seas , she was laid up at her Hoboken , NJ , terminal and remained immobile for nearly three years . World War I . She was seized by the United States Shipping Board when the United States entered World War I , 6 April 1917 ; turned over to the custody of the U . S . Navy in June 1917 ; and commissioned July 1917 as the USS " Vaterland " , Captain Joseph Wallace Oman in command . Redesignated SP - 1326 and renamed " Leviathan " by President Woodrow Wilson on 6 September 1917 . The trial cruise to Cuba on 17 November 1917 , prompted Captain Oman to order 241 Marines , on board to relieve a detachment of Marines , to station themselves conspicuously about the upper decks giving the appearance from shore that the great ship was headed overseas to increase American Expeditionary Forces . Upon her return later that month , she reported for duty with the Cruiser and Transport Force . In December she took troops to Liverpool , England , but repairs delayed her return to the U . S . until mid - February 1918 . A second trip to Liverpool in March was followed by more repairs . At that time she was repainted with the British - type " dazzle " camouflage scheme that she carried for the rest of the war . With the completion of that work , " Leviathan " began regular passages between the U . S . and Brest , France , delivering up to 14 , 000 persons on each trip , carrying over 119 , 000 fighting men , before the armistice 11 November 1918 . Amongst the ship ' s US Navy crew during this period was future film star Humphry Bogart . After that date " Leviathan " , repainted grey overall by December 1918 , reversed the flow of men as she transported the veterans back to the United States with nine westward crossings ending 8 September 1919 . On 29 October 1919 , USS " Leviathan " was decommissioned and turned over to the U . S . Shipping Board and again laid up at Hoboken until plans for her future employment could be determined . American service . The U . S . Shipping Board was by the end of the war enamored with surplus tonnage and government sponsored shipping companies . On 17 December 1919 the International Mercantile Marine signed an agreement to maintain their intended acquisition until a final decision could be made . The Gibbs Brothers Inc . , later named Gibbs & Cox in 1929 , was hired to survey the vessel and her economic potential from every aspect when newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst objected the purchase by claiming British influence over I . M . M , riding on nationalistic sentiment to stop the deal . The Gibbs brothers were allowed to continue by the Shipping Board even as the deal fell through , their first big task being the creation of a new set of blueprints . None had been forced from Germany by the Versailles Treaty and the price was deemed outrageous , instead an army of workers measured every part of the ship until a new set of prints had been made . Having languished in political limbo at her Hoboken pier until April 1922 a decision was finally made and the $ 8 , 000 , 000 in funds allocated to sail Leviathan to Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company in Newport News , Virginia , for her 14 month reconditioning and refurbishment . War duty and age meant that all wiring , plumbing , and interior layouts were stripped and redesigned while her hull was strengthened and her engines converted from coal to oil while being refurbished ; virtually a new ship emerged . The decorations and fittings , designed by New York architects Walker & Gillette , retained much of her prewar splendor of Edwardian , Georgian , Louis XVI styles now merged with modern 1920s touches . The biggest deviation was an art deco night club transplanting the original Verandah Cafe . And in June 1923 she was given back to the Shipping Board . Leviathans measured tonnage had increased to 59 , 956 . 65 GRT and her speed trials showed an average of 27 . 48 knots . Thanks in part to Gibbs ' clever accounting and the Gulf stream , she had become the world ' s largest and fastest ship . A claim that was immediately challenged by the Cunard Line who reminded them their RMS Mauretania ( 1906 ) still held the official speed record for trans - Atlantic crossing , as well as the White Star Line , who claimed the RMS Majestic as the world ' s largest ship as its length was longer , and its gross tonnage was higher as Gibbs used a skewed formula . By this time United States Lines , which had interested I . M . M , had been sold and contractually obligated to run the Leviathan for a minimum of 5 return voyages on the Atlantic run per year . The Gibbs Brothers Inc would run her for her first voyages and train the crew until ownership officially changed hands . She immediately proved popular with the American public in the 20 ' s , starting her career fully booked for her maiden voyage 4 July 1923 . Her passenger average reached a strong 1 , 300 by 1926 and making her the # 1 traveled ship on the Atlantic , but compared to her capacity of 3 , 000 it was too little to be profitable . Her economic problems lay primarily in high labor and fuel costs which were compounded by the prohibition . From 1920 all US registered ships counted as an extension of US territory , making them “ dry ships ” according to the National Prohibition Act . With the Atlantic capacity oversaturated , especially after the Immigration Act of 1924 , alcohol - seeking passengers readily chose other liners . But Leviathan was an American symbol of power and prestige , which despite her economic failings , made her a popular ship with loyal travelers . She attracted attention as the largest and fastest ship in the American merchant marine and featured in countless adverts . The only serious incident occurred one day out of Cherbourg on a winter crossing in 1924 where she met a fierce storm with 90 ft waves and winds up to 100 mph , at times forcing her to a 20 degree heel . Eleven portholes were smashed and 32 passengers injured by the time the storm abated . The ship ' s orchestra , the S . S . Leviathan Orchestra under the direction of Nelson Maples , was also well regarded . Gramophone record s were produced in 1923 and 1924 for Victor Records by the band , which would later become inspiration for the New Leviathan Oriental Fox - Trot Orchestra decades later . But by 1927 the “ good years ” were over , during which time U . S . Lines had been sold and re - nationalized . In 1929 Leviathan was finally allowed to serve “ medicinal alcohol ” outside of US territorial waters to make her more competitive with foreign lines and was quickly sent on Booze Cruises to make money . The Great Depression was the final nail in the coffin and U . S . Lines actively lobbied for the Shipping Board to either take the Leviathan back or give them a subsidy for her operation . She was laid up at her pier in Hoboken , New Jersey , in June 1933 , having lost $ 75 , 000 per round trip since 1929 . U . S . Lines had been acquired at auction by I . M . M . in 1931 who were just as eager to be rid of their white elephant . The government steadfastly stipulated that Leviathan should sail , and so she did after a refurbishment of $ 150 , 000 , for another five round trips . The very first round trip sailed on 9 June 1934 , high season on the Atlantic , and tallied a loss of $ 143 , 000 . By Leviathans ' fifth voyage she sailed at barely half capacity . The I . M . M . paid the U . S . government $ 500 , 000 for permission to retire her while keeping her in running order until 1936 . In 1937 she was finally sold to the British Metal Industries Ltd . On 26 January 1938 Leviathan set out on her 301st and last voyage , arriving at Rosyth , Scotland , 14 February . In the 21 years she served U . S . Lines she carried more than a quarter - million passengers , never making a cent .