the fire rooms complete was a little plush furniture. The boilers
shaped up spick and span and the bilges were free from water. With this
accomplished real efficiency began. The team work of firing the furnaces
on bell signal caused many witnesses to wonder in amazement. Boys who
were away from home for the first time stood manfully before the raging
fires and defied the intense heat in performance of their duty.
The average weight of these boys when reporting for duty averaged about
130 pounds. Being bright and young, with lots of pep, they grew strong
and became efficient firemen. The work seemed to agree with them, even
if it was particularly strenuous. In conclusion let us tell about “Wop”
Cariddo.
Cariddo was passing coal for seven and ten boilers in number four fire
room, as the ship was speeding through the war zone on the 4 to 8 watch,
when resting just inside the bunker, one of the destroyers in our convoy,
dropped a depth charge just off our port beam. The report and jar of the
explosion caused the coal in this bunker to shift. “Wop” was somewhat
upset and surprised, but not frightened. He came dashing out of the
bunker. Old “Biff,” the “War Horse,” who chanced to be passing through
this fire room at the time grabbed him.
“What do you mean by jumping around in this way? Don’t you know that is a
water-tight door on G-deck?
“It’s water-tight hell,” shouted the “Wop.” “I think that’s what they
call a ‘can,’ but I ain’t bluffed, I’m game. I just want to stay with the
boys a minute. Just give me a sandwich and I will heave more coal out of
that bunker than any five boilers on this ship can burn”—and he did.
_Radio Data_
G. A.
No original records or blueprints were found on the ship for the radio
equipment when she was taken over by the Navy. This necessitated tracing
out each and every individual circuit and making blueprints of the same
for future use. All apparatus installed was of German make—Telefunken
Wireless Telegraph Company of Berlin. There were three complete telegraph
transmitters on board and three receivers. The large transmitter
was rated at ten kilowatts and was what is known as an “undamped
transmitter.” Under favorable atmospheric conditions it was capable of
working across the Atlantic and has been known to do so.
During the three-year period of internment it had been allowed to
deteriorate to such an extent that it would have been necessary to
practically rebuild it in order to use it again. The main trouble
was caused by the salt water cooling system eating its way through a
galvanized iron case and getting into the frequency transformer coils
making them unfit for use. It has not been used since. The second
transmitter, known as a five kilowatt quench gap set, did excellent work
ever since the ship was taken over. It is good for 1,200 miles under
fair conditions and has worked 2,200 miles. The third transmitter is a
one-half kilowatt spark coil set and can be used from the ship’s power
mains for short distances, or in case of emergency (if the dynamos were
not working for any reason), it can be used from power supplied by
storage batteries. Its radius is about two hundred miles.
Two of the original German receivers were kept, but one was replaced by
a later type U. S. Navy receiver. The ship was never out of transmitting
communication as the European coast is picked up before the American
coast is lost and vice versa. The large transmitting stations of the
United States and Europe are copied from any part of the ocean. Honolulu,
a high powered station, has been copied while the ship lay in Liverpool,
England, a distance of approximately 8,000 miles.
When at sea we had special stations to copy on specified schedules, so
that messages to the ship from the United States are copied when the
ship is only a few hours from the European ports. These messages are
acknowledged after transmitting communication has been established with
the United States.
There are three antennæ, or aerials, two used for telegraphic
transmission and one for telephonic transmission. All three are used for
receiving. The radio telephone set has been installed since the ship
was taken over and is an American invention. It is very effective up to
twenty miles and has been used to transmit a distance of thirty-six miles
from this vessel. It was used during the war for inter-communication
among the ships of a convoy or to and from the convoy and their escort,
and after the war was used for inter-communication between ships lying in
a harbor and the harbor station itself. This eliminates interference with
the main harbor station working ships at sea. At the same time it allows
the ships in the harbor to work among themselves or communicate with the
shore. Prior to the telephone invention this work was done by visual
signal when the ships were within visual signal distance with each other
or the shore. When not so situated it had to be done by boat, as so many
ships using their telegraph would have made it practically impossible for
the shore station to work ships at sea on account of the interference.
The voice over a radio phone has been proven to be clearer and more
distinct than over land line telephones.
On the _Leviathan_ there are three operators and a messenger on duty
at all hours of the day and night when at sea. One operator supervises
the watch, two are constantly “listening in” with telephones, and
one man does the messenger work. Both “listening in” operators copy
signals practically all the time when on watch. Each has an antenna and
a receiving set of his own and listens on different wave lengths. Two
messages may be sent simultaneously, or two received simultaneously,
but it is not possible to send and receive at the same time. The two
receiving operators sit within a foot of each other, yet it has happened
more than once, that while one operator was copying a message from
Rome, Italy, at the same instant the other man was copying a message
from Balboa, Canal Zone. It is a common occurrence for one operator to
be copying a European station while the other copies a United States
station. The radio force at present consists of one radio gunner, one
radio officer, one chief radio electrician and nine operators.
[Illustration: _Upper Row_, Left to Right—
LIEUT. COMDR. J. W. FORD LIEUT. R. S. SKEAD ENSIGN H. B. ROWEDDER
_Bottom Row_, Left to Right—
LIEUT. COMDR. J. FOSTER LIEUT. COMDR. J. J. JONES]
_The Engineering Department_
By COMMANDER VAUGHN V. WOODWARD, U. S. N.
On July 26, 1917, the Commandant ordered me to report to the _Vaterland_
for duty, which I did, and on the above date the vessel was commissioned.
When I arrived on board, the engineering department was in charge of the
Shipping Board Engineers and personnel. There had also recently arrived
about 200 Navy firemen and a few petty officers; this was the total of
Navy engineering personnel on board. In company with one of the junior
engineers I went below for an inspection of the department. During the
next three days all my time was taken up getting my bearings below and
the layout fixed in my mind in order to make out a station bill so that I
could determine as quickly as possible the personnel required.
[Illustration: THE ENGINEER OFFICERS
LT. WATSON LT. MILLER ENS. LEVENTHAL LT. KEESER LT. KIRK ENS. WILSON LT.
BRIGHT
LT. LAU LT. EDWARDS LT. R. H. JONES COM’DR. WOODWARD LT. ANDREWS LT.
SCHLUTER LT. PARKER]
At the end of the third day I conveyed this information to the Captain
with the request that he bring pressure to bear on the Bureau of
Navigation to send our personnel, both officers and enlisted men, as
quickly as possible. The men and officers began to arrive and by August
15th the last officer of the complement had arrived. As each arrived he
was put in charge of a station and told to trace out his station, make
a thorough examination of the interior of all piping and machinery and
submit a report on repairs necessary and estimated time. Most of my time
during the day was spent below and the nights were occupied drawing up
station bills and handling the office paper work, my only assistant being
a reserve yeoman in the service of the Shipping Board. I realized that,
even at the expense of time that should be spent inspecting repair work,
I must get my organization planned and laid out as quickly as possible,
and in operation. By August 5th all station bills and organization had
been completed and blueprinted and all officers on board instructed. At
this time, on account of report of damage to machinery under repair on
German ships by aliens, I organized a secret service force below in an
effort to detect any attempts made to inflict damage. I purposely let the
report spread around among the civilian workmen that there was a large
force of government agents employed among them and also in the crew.
This seemed to have the desired moral effect, because during the entire
period there was but one case of attempted malicious damage, which was
discovered immediately. An attempt had been made to thrust welding wire
into both of the L. P. astern turbines through the gauge line holes in
the flanges and thus damage the blading.
I will not go into details as to the condition of the machinery, but
will indicate some of the work done and the changes made in order to get
her ready for sea in the quickest possible time. Most of the changes in
design and arrangement were made before her dock trial.
Each piece of machinery and boiler was opened up in all its parts and
thoroughly examined for foreign material or damage. While open necessary
repairs were made.
The joint on every auxiliary steam and exhaust line at the piece of
machinery was broken and steam blown through before attempting to operate
the machine: this to free the line of foreign material.
All main, spring and thrust bearings were opened up, examined, cleaned
and realigned.
The float of the main thrusts were changed from .006 to .015 inches to
conform to U. S. Naval practice.
The rotors and casings of the four astern turbines were all partially
rebladed in place in the ship.
The dummy ring and piston were found broken in the port H. P. astern; but
these were renewed and machined in place, the jacking engine turning the
rotor while a cutting tool was attached to the flange of the casting,
thus making a lathe out of the turbine and solving the practically
impossible problem of removing the rotor from the ship to be placed in a
lathe ashore.
It was found that the impulse stages in this turbine had been the cause
of the damage to this dummy, so it was decided to remove the impulse
stages entirely, which was done. This decreases the economy of the
turbine, but the safety guarantee to the successful operation of this
unit so far overbalanced this factor that economy was sacrificed.
The starboard H. P. astern casing had several bad cracks in both top and
bottom, and from records on board had not been in use on the last voyage
of the vessel. This was in process of being electrically welded when I
reported on board. The method in use, however, proved later on test, to
give a faulty weld, so that it was decided to cut a deep “V” groove in
the cracks and lace with steel studs, the lacing being filled in with
the weld, thus giving the weld holding power due to the welding material
fusing with the studs. This machine operated successfully during the
entire commission of the vessel with no signs of ruptures or faulty welds.
On examination of the main throttles the starboard H. P. astern throttle
spool was found to be broken and off the stem. This throttle was renewed
and operated satisfactorily.
The system of automatic control of feed pumps in the engine room by float
and pressure control was decided on as being highly dangerous, this
system was at once removed and hand control of pumps substituted.
After operating for some time it was found impossible to obtain a
vacuum that would afford economical operation for a turbine plant. The
capacities of the pumps and condensers were computed and checked up
and found adequate for the horsepower to be handled. The low pressure
system was then tested out by water pressure and every noticeable leak
stopped. This however gave us no better results, the best vacuum we could
obtain averaging around 27 inches under normal operating conditions. The
question of the wet and dry suctions of the pumps was next taken into
consideration and it was decided to blank the dry suction off from the
condenser and lead it into the wet suction of its own pump. This was
done and with the results desired. The vacuum desired can be obtained at
all times. With circulating water at forty degrees a vacuum of as high
as twenty-nine inches has been obtained. The average vacuum under all
conditions obtained since this change is about twenty-eight inches.
GLAND STEAM TURBINE SUPPLY
In order to further increase economy a radical change was made in the
method of supplying the turbines with gland steam. As installed, all
turbine glands required the use of live steam, which with turbines of
such large dimensions, was quite an item. By a simple change in pipe
leads and valves, the leak off from the H. P. ahead glands, which
formerly led to the condenser, was piped to supply the glands of all
astern turbines and the I. P. and L. P. ahead turbines, thus utilizing
a three-inch line of steam which was formerly wasted in the condenser.
It is believed that this vessel is the only vessel afloat that uses this
system of gland steam.
The above concludes briefly a history of the major items of alterations
and repairs in the engine rooms.
In the fire rooms, all boilers were opened up and thoroughly cleaned
and all zincs removed. My attention was first attracted by several
burned boilers and next by the elaborate system of automatic feeding of
each individual boiler by means of floats, levers, valves, etc. This
system was at once dismantled, removed from all boilers and scrapped. I
then heard reports that the Germans had experienced great trouble with
leaky tubes at the back ends of the boilers. Trams were at once made
and accurate measurements taken on the expansion of the boiler between
upper and lower drums on raising steam. This was found to be quite
excessive and greatest between the back ends of the drums. After several
experiments and deductions from results obtained, it was decided to
remove the short circular internal feed in the front end of the steam
drum and fit a standard Navy internal feed pipe running the entire length
of the drum. This was done in all boilers and the expansion was reduced
about eighty per cent. Since her commission we have never had to reroll
a leaky boiler tube. From commissioning to Nov. 11, 1918, there has been
a total of 7,198 boiler steaming days, or an average per boiler of 156.5
days of 3,756 hours. Great care was exercised in the cleanliness of the
boilers and boiler water. No pits or corrosion have been found in any
part of the boilers.
On the first trip overseas great difficulty was experienced in steaming,
all boilers were in use and 144 revolutions per minute was about the
maximum speed we could maintain for any length of time. There was an
excessive amount of clinker formation covering the grate bars. On
diagnosing this trouble and consulting standard works on combustion, air
required per pound of fuel, etc., it was decided that the grate bars did
not have sufficient air space. From computations made, a new grate bar
was designed with an increase in air space over the old of thirty-five
per cent. Our troubles in this line at once ceased, and our trip home was
made at 151 revolutions per minute with forty-six boilers in use. Later
we used thirty-eight to forty boilers for as high as 154 revolutions per
minute.
We experienced a great deal of trouble with the side brick walls of the
furnaces the first two trips, which required the renewal of about 4,000
bricks each voyage. On being notified that we would be required to start
making quick turn-arounds on the next voyage, I realized that this could
not be done with such an amount of brick work to be repaired. After many
conferences while at sea, we finally decided to tear all the brick work
out of one boiler and substitute cast iron liners, shaped to fit the
drums and punched with holes for ventilation. This idea proved highly
successful. All boilers were immediately fitted likewise and all operated
successfully. Besides the elimination of the expense for the purchase of
bricks and cement, the labor and time of cleaning furnaces was reduced
ninety per cent. All that is necessary for cleaning and repairing furnace
walls at the present time is one man and a corn broom.
The steaming efficiency has been greatly hampered at all times by the
flow of water over the fire room floor plates, due to the faulty design
of the German ash ejector. After many attempts to remedy this by altering
the design, we were finally compelled to replace the hoppers with new
hoppers of the See type.
There was at all times a great deal of trouble experienced in carrying
over water from the boilers to the turbines. The water in the boilers
was carried at the lowest level consistent with safety, but in spite of
this the trouble still continued. On inspection of the main steam lines
and boiler steam drums it was found that they were practically bare of
lagging. All these lines and drums were immediately covered with two-inch
of magnesia eighty-five per cent pure, and all water trouble was then
eliminated. The water level in the boilers was also raised from two to
four inches, thus giving a greater factor of safety here.
After several trips we noticed that the uptakes were excessively hot and
also that at times torching occurred at the stack tops. This being a
menace to the safety of the ship in the war zone, it had to be remedied.
After examining the uptake, furnaces and path of gases we decided to
alter the baffling. This was done by installing flame baffles at the base
of the uptake in each boiler. It not only eliminated the torching, but
also decreased the amount of soot formation about fifty per cent.
This includes all the major items of the fire rooms. A few general items
follow:
An interesting phase of our overhaul was the method of conducting our
dock trial, after all repairs and tests to individual main and auxiliary
machinery had been completed. It was realized that it was out of the
question to attempt to turn the engines over at a speed which could
be called a fair trial, for the reason that there was no mooring that
could possibly hold the ship at the dock. After lengthy conference with
officers, it was decided to break the tail shaft couplings and jack
the tail shaft aft about two inches to clear the line shafting. This
was done on each shaft and we ran each engine individually for 4 hours
up its designed speed 180 revolutions per minute, then in manœuvering
combination to full speed, 119 revolutions per minute, then all four
shafts in cruising combination up to 180 revolutions per minute. The dock
trial proved a success from start to finish, no casualty of any kind
occurring. In this connection, in order to get a test on the boilers,
No. 1 fire room was used the first day of the trial, No. 2 the second
day, No. 3 the third day, and No. 4 the fourth day.
During the period between August 15th and October 16th, I can safely say
that the officers and men of the department averaged every day, Saturdays
and Sundays, included, eighteen working hours below without complaint
or murmur. It seemed to be a matter of great pride and determination
with them. We had heard many reports that the _Vaterland_ would never
leave the dock, and many letters came threatening some officer or man in
the department. Of the men and petty officers we were compelled to work
with, I should say that twenty per cent of them had never been on board
a ship previous to their reporting here. They were all recruits direct
from recruiting rendezvous, with the exception of a few C. P. O.’s who
came from the fleet. During all our overhaul and repair we had no plans
to guide us, all lines and arrangements had to be traced out by the
officer concerned, who submitted sketches to me. These sketches have been
forwarded to the Bureau of Steam Engineering.
We found three logs made by the Germans on the _Vaterland._ These logs,
I believe were forwarded to Washington, but to the best of my memory the
speeds on these three trips averaged for the entire voyage 22.4, 21 and
something over 20 knots, with an average coal consumption per day of
about 1,100 tons, running up to about 1,157 for one voyage. The present
consumption of this vessel at 20 knots is 816 tons per day east bound,
and 720 west bound. West bound we use Welsh coal. We have never steamed
at 22 knots for any period long enough to obtain a point.
Going to Liverpool on a trip during an emergency she maintained a speed
of 181 revolutions per minute for a short period of time until a slow
bell was received.
Since the war service of the vessel started until November 11, 1918, the
_Leviathan_ has never had an engineering casualty of any description, nor
has the ship been delayed due to any cause in the engineering department.
The Medical Department
By DR. DUNLAP
The Medical Department is represented by the Senior Medical Officer,
Commander F. A. Asserson, M. C. U. S. N., four Junior Medical Officers
with the rank of Lieutenant each, one Chief Pharmacist, one Pharmacist,
two Chief Pharmacist’s Mates, and about one hundred and thirty Hospital
Corpsmen. There are also eight nurses, in charge of Miss Mary M.
Robinson, Chief Nurse, U. S. N. The units composing the Department are
as follows: Office of the Senior Medical Officer; office of the Medical
Officer of the Day; Major and Minor Operating Rooms; Laboratory; Sick
Officers’ Quarters of ten beds; Medical and Surgical Wards with one
hundred and thirty-two beds; Isolation Ward with forty beds; total,
one hundred and eighty-two beds; Diet Kitchen; two Sick Call Stations;
Dispensary; Mental Ward; Guinea pig houses.
The history of this department dates from July, 1917, when the first
medical officers, Drs. F. J. Carroll, and E. M. Hudson came aboard. These
officers, both Lieutenants in the U. S. Naval Medical Corps, were on
duty at the U. S. Naval Hospital in Brooklyn when our government assumed
control of the _Leviathan_, and they were ordered to report aboard for
duty. The vessel at that time being just as the Germans had left her.
Drs. Carroll and Hudson at once began tentative plans for a medical
department capable of handling the sick among the thousands of troops
the _Leviathan_ was being rapidly fitted to carry. Plans were drawn by
them converting the social hall on A-deck into wards and operating rooms.
The orchestra stage at the forward end of the hall was to be cut away,
lowered to the level of the deck and that space utilized as two operating
rooms with a sterilizing room. Wash rooms, toilets, linen lockers, and an
Isolation Ward were also provided for. Places fore and aft were chosen as
sick call stations and Dispensary.
[Illustration: CENTER PICTURE: LEFT TO RIGHT—“OUR NAVIGATORS”
LIEUT. J. L. BEEBE, LIEUT. COM. H. C. CUNNINGHAM.
BOTTOM PICTURE, LEFT TO RIGHT—DR. J. E. PORTER, DR. T. C. HEMINGSEN, DR.
F. A. ASSERSON, DR. W. F. RATHBUN, DR. H. F. HOWELL, DR. E. F. CROFUTT,
PHARMACIST F. B. REDMAN.]
[Illustration: THE LEVIATHAN NURSES]
On August 9, 1917, Commander John J. Snyder, M. C. U. S. N., reported
aboard as the first Senior Medical Officer. The plans for the medical
department were submitted to Dr. Snyder and to the Naval Constructor,
and were later adopted by the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery. Before the
first trip three more medical officers reported, viz: Lieut. Commander
G. T. Vaughan, U. S. N. R. F., Lieut. Max M. Braff, M. C. U. S. N., and
Lieut. S. Strauss, M. C. N. N. V., so that on the first trip there were
five medical officers, besides the Senior Medical Officer. After the
trial trip to Cuba the _Leviathan_ went to Liverpool. The amount of work
was found to be too much for the number of doctors, and upon returning to
the States another Medical Officer was requested. Lieut. A. K. Dunlap,
M. C. U. S. N., was sent aboard in February, 1918, so that on the second
trip seven doctors were aboard. On subsequent trips into New York,
Lieut. Robt. Lorentz, M. C. U. S. N., Chief Pharmacist C. I. Campbell, U.
S. N. R. F., and Lieut. Edward Crofutt, M. C. U. S. N., were sent aboard
for duty. During the month of May, 1918, Commander Snyder left to assume
his new duties as Fleet Surgeon, and his position on board as Senior
Medical Officer was assumed by Commander H. A. May, M. C. U. S. N. Lieut.
Harold Hulbert, M. C. U. S. N., and Pharmacist F. B. Redman also joined
the ship about the same time. Later in the summer the medical corps was
further strengthened by the addition of Lieuts. Harry L. Howell and John
E. Porter, U. S. Navy Medical Corps. In December, 1918, Dr. May was
detailed to duty ashore and the duties of Senior Medical Officer assigned
to Commander F. A. Asserson, M. C. U. S. N. Lieuts. Walter L. Rathbun,
Thos. Sheppard, and A. T. Weston, M. C. U. S. R. F., reported at the
same time. As new officers reported on board from time to time, others
were relieved and detailed elsewhere. For the greater part of the time
since the ship has been in commission the medical department has had nine
doctors on board.
As the _Leviathan_ transported nearly one hundred and twenty thousand
men to Europe during the war, and has brought back nearly as many
since, it requires no active imagination to realize that the medical
department has had its hands full. The percentage of sickness bound
to occur among thirteen thousand men was enough to keep nine doctors
busy, and this was only a small part of their work. Sanitation on such
a huge ship was in itself a problem. Samples of food and water had to
be examined and accepted or rejected; troop compartments and every
nook and corner of the ship were inspected daily and a high sanitary
standard maintained; quotative examinations of the air in the troop
spaces were made at different hours both day and night to determine the
temperature, humidity, and amount of carbon dioxide in these places;
these observations were made the subjects of various reports and resulted
in the installation of new ventilating systems and correction of those
already in operation; during threatened epidemics of infectious diseases
it was often necessary to take cultures and do other laboratory work
among hundreds of men. In July, 1918, the _Leviathan_ began transporting
wounded men and has carried a large number of them to date. The wounded
required much attention and the manner in which they have been cared for
on board this vessel reflects great credit upon the medical department.
A new departure for ships of war was the Nurse Corps. The corps
consists of Mary M. Robinson, Head Nurse, U. S. N., Irene Reed, U. S.
N., Charlotte F. Hyde, U. S. N., Ruby F. Nutling, U. S. N. R. F., Ruby
Russell, U. S. N. R. F., Madelon Stowell, U. S. N. R. F., Alice B.
Newcomb, U. S. N. R. F., Vera O. Harmon, U. S. N., Mary A. O’Neill, U. S.
N. R. F. These were the first nurses who ever had duty on a man-o’-war.
Their duties have been supervisory over the hospital corps, and their
training and experience as nurses have made them of invaluable assistance.
THE INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC
The following are extracts from reports of the influenza epidemic
submitted to commanding officer by Lieut. Com. H. A. May, M. C., October
11th, 1918:
There were 260 officers and 8,873 enlisted men of all grades reported
as present when the ship left the dock in Hoboken. These made up the
personnel of several organizations—the 323d Field Signal Corps, the
401st, 467th and 468th Engineers, the 302d Water Tank Train, a September
Automatic Replacement Draft, the 57th Pioneer Infantry, and the 73d
Medical Replacement Section. In addition, there were 191 members of the
60th and 62d units, Army Nurse Corps.
The ship sailed on September 29th. Because troop space H-8 was deemed
unfit for occupancy by reason of inadequate ventilation, troops quartered
there were moved on the 30th to other compartments, causing congestion
in many spaces. All available bunks in the sick bay were filled by army
sick before the morning of September 30th. Arrangements were then made to
empty F room section 3, port side, containing 200 standees. These bunks
were filled within a few minutes with sick men picked up from the decks.
When this space was found to be insufficient E room section 2, starboard
side, 415 bunks, was vacated (October 1st), and the occupants sent down
to H-8 regardless of improper ventilation. On October 3d, the port side
of E room section 2, 463 bunks, was vacated by the Army guard, those sick
in F. H. S. 3 were moved up to E. R. S. 2, and the guard sent below to be
scattered wherever they could find space. Thus, on the night of October
3d, there was, beside the sick bay, a ward on E-deck capable of bunking
878 men. As the bunks are arranged four in a tier, one above the other,
the top bunk could not be used for the sick, except in emergencies,
because nurses could not climb up to them nor could sick men climb down
to go to toilets.
The Navy medical officers confined their efforts mostly to those in the
sick bay spaces, while all the sick quarters below were turned over to
the army medical officers. The army chief surgeon, Colonel Decker, and
two of his juniors became ill on October 1st, leaving but eleven army
doctors to hold sick call, treat patients below, and care for about
thirty nurses and twenty officers who were ill in rooms. The navy medical
officers stood watches in E. R. S. 3 at such times as they could be
spared from the sick bay work, and relays of army nurses were assigned
to duty below, with the pneumonia cases in the isolation ward, with sick
officers in the officer’s ward, and with sick nurses and officers in
staterooms. In fact every available medical officer, nurse and hospital
corpsman was utilized to the extreme of endurance. Below, in the E-deck
ward, every possible appliance for the care of the sick was furnished to
the army surgeons on duty. The commissary officer placed at our disposal
stewards, cooks and mess men, and furnished just the kind of food
required, in the best possible fashion. The Medical Department of the
ship owes, and I wish here to acknowledge, a great debt of gratitude to
the Commissary Department, and to Paymaster Farwell and Chief Commissary
Steward Flowers, especially, for their co-operation in this matter, the
success with which they gave comfort and aid to the sick, and removed
from our shoulders the always worrisome burden of feeding men unable to
eat regular diet.
COURSE OF THE EPIDEMIC
This was influenced materially by these main factors:
First, the widespread infection of several organizations before they
embarked, and their assignment to many different parts of the ship.
Second, the type of men comprising the most heavily infected group. These
men were particularly liable to infection.
Third, the absolute lassitude of those becoming ill caused them to
lie in their bunks without complaint until their infection had become
profound and pneumonia had begun. The severe epistaxis which ushered in
the disease in a very large proportion of the cases, caused a lowering
of resisting powers which was added to by fright, by the confined space,
and the motion of the ship. Where pneumonia set in, not one man was in
condition to make a fight for life.
As noted above, the sick bay was filled a few hours after leaving
Hoboken. All pneumonia cases were placed in one isolation ward at the
beginning, and another isolation unit was set aside for measles and
mumps, both of which diseases were present among the troops. The other
isolation units were first filled with influenza cases and later with
pneumonias. Until the fifth day of the voyage, few patients could be sent
to duty because of great weakness following the drop in temperature as
they grew better. Only the worst cases in E-deck ward were sent to sick
bay at any time, and all were potentially pneumonias. The E-deck ward was
more than full all the time and there were many ill men in various troop
spaces in other parts of the ship.
There are no means of knowing the actual number of sick at any one time,
but it is estimated that fully 700 cases had developed by the night of
September 30th. They were brought to the sick bay from all parts of the
ship, in a continuous stream, only to be turned away because all beds
were occupied. Most of them then lay down on the decks, inside and out,
and made no effort to reach the compartment where they belonged. In fact
practically no one had the slightest idea where he did belong, and he
left his blankets, clothing, kit, and all his possessions to be salvaged
at the end of the voyage.
During October 1st, every effort was made to increase hospital space
below, as noted above. The heretofore satisfactory arrangements for army
sick call were not adhered to by the army medical officers, and hundreds
of men applied for treatment at the E-deck ward instead of going to the
twelve outlying sick call stations. On this day, Colonel Decker, the
Chief Army Surgeon, became ill. As he was the only army medical officer
who had had army experience in administrative matters there was now no
competent head to the army organization. Two other medical officers also
became ill and remained in their rooms to the end of the voyage.
Late in the evening of this day the E-deck ward was opened on the
starboard side and was filled before morning. Twenty army nurses were
detailed for duty during the night. When patients were brought up, their
mates carefully left their blankets and clothing below and scouting
parties had to be sent through the compartments to gather up all loose
blankets for use of the sick. Fortunately we had about 100 army blankets
in the medical storeroom which had been salvaged on other voyages. These
were used while they lasted.
HORRORS OF WAR
The conditions during this night cannot be visualized by any one who has
not actually seen them.
The morning of October 2nd brought no relief. Things seemed to grow worse
instead of better. Cleaning details were demanded of the army, but few
men responded. Those who came would stay awhile and wander away, never
to be seen again. No N. C. O.’s were sent, and there was no organization
for control. The nurses made a valiant effort to clean up and the navy
hospital corpsmen did marvels of work, but always against tremendous
odds. Only by constant patrolling between the bunks could any impression
be made upon the litter and finally our own sailors were put on the job.
They took hold like veterans and the place was kept respectably clean
thereafter.
The first death from pneumonia occurred on this day, and the body was
promptly embalmed and encased in a navy standard casket.
When evening came no impression had been made upon the great number of
sick men about the decks and in their own bunks. So arrangements were
made to enlarge the hospital space by including the port side of E. R. S.
2. On October 3rd this was accomplished and from that time to the end of
the voyage we had enough bunks to accommodate practically all the worst
cases. Three deaths occurred this day and all were embalmed and encased.
After going through the hospital and troop spaces that night it was
estimated that there were about 900 cases of influenza in the ship. In
the wards we sent back to bunks below all men whose temperature reached
99 and kept all bunks filled with cases of higher fever.
October 4th, seven deaths during the day. The sea was rough and the
ship rolled heavily. Hundreds of men were thoroughly miserable from
seasickness and other hundreds who had been off the farm but a few weeks,
were miserable from terror of the strange surroundings and the ravages of
the epidemic. Dozens of these men applied at the wards for treatment and
the inexperience of army doctors in the recognition of seasickness caused
a great many needless admissions to the hospital.
Many officers and nurses were ill in their rooms, and required the
constant attention of a corps of well nurses, and an army medical officer
to attend them.
Each succeeding day of the voyage was like those preceding, a nightmare
of weariness and anxiety on the part of nurses, doctors, and hospital
corpsmen. No one thought of bed for himself and all hands worked day and
night. On the 5th there were 10 deaths, on the 6th there were 24, and on
the 7th, the day of arrival at our destination, the toll was 31. The army
ambulance boat was promptly alongside, and debarkation of the sick began
about noon. The sick bay was cleared first and we at once began to clean
up in preparation for the wounded to be carried westbound. E-deck was
then evacuated, but all the sick could not be handled before night, about
200 remaining on board.
On the 8th these were taken off by the army, but not before fourteen more
deaths had occurred. Although on this day almost the entire personnel
(army) had gone, the nurses remained until the last sick man was taken
off.
PNEUMONIA
It is the opinion of myself and the other medical officers attached to
the ship that there were fully 2,000 cases of influenza on board. How
many developed pneumonia there are no means of knowing. Over 75 cases of
the latter disease were admitted to the sick bay, most of them moribund.
Of these, 3 improved so much that they went back to their compartments,
29 were transferred to hospital ashore, and about 40 died. As the records
required to transfer patients from the army to the navy medical officers
were furnished in but few cases, and as my records embrace all the dead,
I had no means of knowing how many died in the sick bay and how many in
the E-deck ward. Cases of pneumonia were found dying in various parts of
the ship and many died in the E-deck ward a few minutes after admission.
Owing to the public character of that ward, men passing would see a
vacant bunk and lie down in it without applying to a medical officer at
all. Records were impossible, and even identification of patients was
extremely difficult because hundreds of men had blank tags tied about
their necks. Many were either delirious or too ill to know their own
names. Nine hundred and sixty-six patients were removed by the army
hospital authorities in France.
DEATHS
Ninety-one deaths occurred among the army personnel, of whom one was an
officer, as follows:
October 2 1 death
” 3 3 deaths
” 4 7 deaths
” 5 10 deaths
” 6 24 deaths
” 7 31 deaths
” 8 14 deaths
” 10 1 death
The sick officer was treated in the open air on B deck, had a special
army nurse during the day, and a navy hospital corpsman at night.
HOSPITAL CORPS
I cannot speak in terms of sufficient commendation of the work of
the hospital corps of this ship. Every man was called upon to exert
himself to the limit of endurance during the entire round trip. No one
complained, every man was on the job. Many of them worked twenty-four
hours at a stretch amid conditions that can never be understood by one
ashore or on a man-of-war. Some of the embalming detail, worked at their
gruesome task forty-eight hours at a stretch without complaint, and at
the end I had to drive them away to a bath and bed.
I have learned that the following named men of the Commissary Department
voluntarily remained on duty with the sick on E-deck during the entire
voyage.
George Willis CCS
H. L. Ringrose SC-2
A. Barbel SC-4
R. Steinman SC-4
Had we been in the midst of smallpox or plague they would doubtless have
done the same. The actual danger to all hands was extremely great and all
these men deserve the highest commendation for their actions.
Commissary Department
FEEDING THE TROOPS
F. L. F.
As soon as the decision was made that the Navy would have charge of
the commissary departments on the transports, plans were promptly made
to effect the most complete and satisfactory arrangements for the
subsistence of the troops en route. A board of three expert commissary
officers was appointed with instructions to prepare a well-balanced
standard bill-of-fare for use on board all of the transports. The
bill-of-fare for a fourteen-day period submitted by the board, was
approved and copies forwarded to the commanding officers of all
transports for their guidance with the request that it be followed
as nearly as possible. Experienced officers of the Supply Corps were
then recommended for assignment to the transports and nothing was left
undone which would contribute in any way to perfect arrangements for the
satisfactory feeding of the troops. This work was new to the navy, as
transports were heretofore operated exclusively by the army.
On this account and because, as stated by the Secretary of the Navy, “The
success of the transfer of the army troops will depend to a large extent
on the conduct of the commissary service on each vessel.
“It is especially gratifying to be able to report that the subsistence of
the troops en route overseas has been satisfactory in every respect. This
fact is confirmed by reports received from time to time.”
This extract from the Paymaster General’s report marks the success of the
enormous task given the Bureau of Supplies and Accounts of feeding the A.
E. F. while being carried overseas on American transports.
The menus mentioned in the report actually originated from the
_Leviathan_, and the general instructions at that time were to “live
up to the standard required by the sample menu, and to do better, if
possible.” This was the slogan of all the general messes in the transport
service, and it is a well-known fact that the army as a whole has had
nothing but praise for the Navy Commissariat.
The _Leviathan_, being the largest carrier of all the transport fleet,
naturally placed the supply officer, Paymaster Geo. C. Schafer and his
assistants, headed by H. B. Judkins, Ensign, U. S. N. R. F., Pay Corps,
on their mettle to make a success of this enormous undertaking, although
at that time and even up to the time the first meal was served to the
troops, the huge task was hardly realized.
During the period of fitting out and on the first trip, there were only
five men in the Commissary Department who were known to be familiar with
the navy general mess requirements and navy discipline, the rest of
the Commissary Department was made up from men taken from all walks of
life—lawyers, college men, horseshoers, business men, actors, etc.; only
about thirty men having any experience as cooks and bakers, and among
these only a comparative few who had any seagoing experience. Even these
men were of an unknown quantity until tried out, in the actual experience
of cooking and serving food to 10,000 troops and crew, the proportionate
number carried the first trip through the war-zone. This was the biggest
feeding task ever undertaken in the history of the maritime world.
These men came from various sources of recruiting, mostly from the
headquarters and commissary schools connected with the Third Naval
District, arriving in batches of one to ten almost every day until ready
to sail. None of them came fully equipped or uniformed and the first
real muster of the Commissary Department was unique in the history of
the ship, about three hundred men falling in on B-deck. An attempt was
made to drill them into something near the navy standard. At that time
it seemed a hopeless task—none seemed to know what was required of
them, even to the simple movement of opening ranks for inspection. The
inspection was a joke, no one in uniform, and the expression “Coxey’s
Army” would describe the general appearance of the men.
However, the spirit was there, and in an incredibly short time the men
were properly uniformed and at the first crew inspection made a very
creditable showing, even in the opinion of the old-timers.
Most of these men had the American knack of adaptiveness and soon fitted
into the duties required of them; showed such a splendid desire to make
good that after the first trip we were able to compare the Commissary
Department, and by no means discreditably, with that on the huge British
transports, _Olympic_ and _Mauretania_.
The system steadily improved, and it is safe to assume that we are
unexcelled by any other similar sea-going organization.
Because of the “training afloat” system laid out by the Navy Department
it is estimated that about 100 trained men have left the _Leviathan_,
trained by actual experience in cooking and baking, thus giving the
growing navy a trained personnel, not only cooks and bakers, but American
man-o’-war’s men, developed as such by the stern requirements of war
conditions.
HORSESHOER THINKS COOKING EASY
Each man reporting aboard was required to fill out a questionaire blank
stating experience, etc. This was done so that men could be placed to
the best advantage in the galley, bakery, storerooms and offices. Some
of the answers were laughable. For instance, one stated that his sole
experience was cooking for his sisters when mother was obliged to go out.
Another had been a horseshoer for about eighteen years, another had no
experience, but he knew that cooking was very easy to learn and that he
was there for that purpose. One man made a strong bid for the billet of
head waiter and informed the Commissary Steward that if he gave him the
job he would send at once to Chicago for his Tuxedo.
GERMAN SECRET SERVICE INTERESTED
During this time it was well known that the German Secret Service was
much interested in the _Leviathan_ and for that reason all new arrivals
were carefully watched. One suspicious commissary recruit was picked out
and turned over to the authorities. He was so clearly German, both in
speech and appearance, that it would have been impossible for him to get
by, and although nothing was heard of his fate, it is safe to assume that
he was interned in a safe place until the end of the war.
The actual fitting out was a tremendous problem, most of the German
kitchen machinery and utensils were found either in bad condition or
useless for the coming needs and almost a new installation was built,
using, however, the German kettles and ranges when possible, discarding
anything not absolutely essential. It was often a matter of considerable
thought and discussion to decide what should be kept and what discarded.
There were found on the ship seven complete kitchens, counting the two
Jewish kitchens which were designed for Kosher cooking. These were
intended to provide for the large number of Jewish immigrants carried
over in the third class or steerage compartments and all these galleys
had been splendidly fitted out to care for about 5,000 passengers and
1,000 crew. As the problem was to prepare for about 15,000 it can be
readily seen that some drastic changes were required.
In connection with this it might be well to state that the first letter
written about commissary affairs asked that 27 steam kettles of 100
gallons capacity, 3 dough mixers of two barrel capacity, and 7 navy
standard bake ovens be obtained. These were installed in addition to the
German equipment left, after the rip-out period was finished.
All except the first and second class galley were dismantled. All the
kettles and one large electric bake oven were installed in the first
class galley compartment, thus consolidating the cooking machinery in the
present spaces which were renamed the Troop Galley.
On E-deck aft, the third class galley was ripped out and a blacksmith
and coppersmith shop installed. The third class dining room, later the
engineer’s force mess room, became temporarily the crew mess room until
the number became too large and the first class saloon was used until
the deck force quarters were fitted up. It was during this time that
a large number of the crew were ptomaine poisoned by eating hash that
was prepared from infected corned beef, probably made so by defective
tinning. The entire Medical Department was busy all that day, but luckily
no lives were lost. The rumor leaked out that in some way “Fritz” had got
in some fine work, but this was denied upon investigation.
STORAGE
Another phase of the preparation presented itself, the storage of
provisions. The combined experience of the leading men in the department
was brought into play to solve the many problems involved, to provide
for storing and keeping of over two millions of pounds of provisions in
the space allotted. The principal items and their quantities required
for this loading were as follows: 200,000 lbs. of flour, 60,000 lbs.
tinned meats, 25,000 lbs. salt meats, 120,000 lbs. smoked meats, 260,000
lbs. fresh meats, 25,000 lbs. turkey and fowl, 30,000 doz. eggs, 140,000
lbs. beans, 75,000 tinned vegetables, 420,000 fresh vegetables, 22,000
cereals, 145,000 dried, tinned and preserved fruits, 175,000 fresh
fruits, 40,000 lbs. coffee, 3,000 lbs. cocoa, 2,500 lbs. tea, 60,000
evaporated milk, 5,000 qts. fresh milk, 5,000 qts. of cream, 40,000 lbs.
fresh butter, 15,000 lbs. of lard, 15,000 lbs. salt, 175,000 lbs. of
sugar.
These quantities were estimated to subsist 10,000 troops twenty-five days
and 1,400 crew one hundred and twenty days.
Careful consideration had to be given to the location, size, drainage
and estimated temperatures of the various storerooms and cold storage.
Also the items of provisions and quantities of each item required and the
storeroom best adapted by size and accessibility. This was worked out so
successfully that when the actual provisioning was finished only about
five hundred packages were left out of the allotted spaces due to the
fact that at the last moment, passages had to be left in several rooms to
give access to manhole plates leading into the double bottoms.
The cold storage spaces were an unknown quantity, only uncertain data
(not from German sources) being available concerning the temperatures of
the various compartments. However, this part of the provisioning was also
successfully finished and it might be well to state that since the first
loading, to the end of hostilities, only about 3,000 pounds of meats, and
6,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables were lost through deterioration.
Enough provisions were carried in the ship to approximate the supply of
ten battleships and one supply ship. This comparison was often used when
explaining to distinguished guests the enormous size of the _Leviathan’s_
larder.
During this phase of the work great consideration was given to the method
of issuing the food to the individual soldier. No data was obtainable
except the general requirements of the army regulation. How to make these
requirements fit into the planned system of feeding was a problem, which
however was so successfully solved that the _Leviathan_ system of issue
was, either in whole or in part, practically adopted for all transports.
The general scheme is an elaboration on a rough, but efficient system of
feeding landing forces of sailors at Guantanamo, where it was the custom
to land the various ship battalions and go into camp at Deer Point for
small arms practice.
The equipment then was a limited one, namely, a mess table at the foot of
each company street and four syrup barrels filled with soap and water for
washing the mess gear. From this crude idea was built up a system that
operates as follows:
In the after end of the troop mess hall are placed twelve tanks fitted
with direct steam jets. These tanks have specially fitted tops and are
capable of holding eight insets or food containers, each container
holding about seventy pounds of food or coffee. The steam jet is turned
on when the tank is filled with the food containers, thus enabling the
food to be placed ready for serving, some time before the messing,
keeping the food warm and palatable.
This tank, or serving station, contains such items of the meal as meats,
gravy, vegetables and beverages. In addition to each serving station
is an auxiliary serving table from which is served, bread, butter and
desserts. Each serving station and table has a detail of four men and a
messing sergeant who draws the food from the galley and serves to the men
as they file past their particular station.
The men march from their compartments under control of their compartment
officer in four lines, two from forward and two from aft, meeting on
E-deck at the grand staircase leading into the troop mess hall coming
down the staircase four abreast. When in the mess hall the column is
split into twelve lines and pass the serving stations at a slow walk
through to the mess tables. When finished, they go on to the forward end
of the mess hall, where there are the washing tanks somewhat similar to
the tanks at the serving stations. These tanks have hot soapy and clear
water in which the men wash and rinse their mess gear, returning to their
compartments by other established routes. All the mess lines, both to and
from the mess, are kept under control so that in case of an emergency
during the messing the men may be brought to their proper stations
quickly and without confusion. This arrangement of the messing lines and
mess hall has kept intact and separate the feeding space of the troops
from their sleeping quarters, an arrangement of much sanitary value and
in evidence only upon United States Navy transports.
WORLD’S FEEDING RECORD
The system holds the world’s record for feeding the largest number of men
in the shortest period of time, ashore or afloat. Nine thousand men in an
average time of ninety minutes were fed. The best time, however, for the
same number of men was sixty-seven minutes; this means that during the
messing one soldier was served a ration every thirty-six seconds.
It must be remembered that these huge commissary problems has been solved
with deep thought and precision, overcoming the enormous difficulties
presented on shipboard by the confined space and the mass of floating
population equal that of a large town or small city.
On the afternoon of December 14th, the day previous to the starting
on that historical first trip, the first meal was served. Previous to
serving this meal, the carefully planned organization had to be put into
operation. This required numerous army details for messing, kitchen work
and working parties. These reported to the commissary office and after
being properly stationed were given instructions to carry on the messing.
This was done about two hours after the troops were embarked and the mess
movement was started in the troop mess hall. There were many hitches in
the mess movement to the serving stations, but all the troops were fed
in about two and one half hours and after the second day the messing
organization “shook down” so well, that the Commissary Department was
able to report that the messing system was a success. In fact, the
first meal had not been going ten minutes when it was realized, much to
the relief and joy of those who had worked so hard on the fitting out
the messing organization, that the system planned was very effective.
One strict rule had to be made in connection with the embarkation,
which was that no meals would be served until all messing details were
stationed, and although it seemed harsh, an amusing incident proved its
value. Soldiers are akin to sailors, inasmuch as they are blessed with
healthy appetites, so that invariably when troops arrive aboard they are
hungry, and if not restrained naturally gravitate to the kitchen. The
first troops aboard followed their natural instincts and wormed their
way into the galley. Their tales of hunger told to the sailor-cooks
in the galley so worked on their sympathies that a relief party began
issuing sandwiches. In a few minutes by some mysterious way the good
news was passed that the good-natured sailors were handing out “chow”
and in about ten minutes a thousand hungry troopers were crowded into
the galley clamoring for “eats.” The resulting confusion almost upset
the embarkation and a hurried S. O. S. to the army headquarters was made
to get the soldiers to clear the galley. It is needless to say that the
galley cooks never allowed their good nature to get the best of them
again during other embarkations.
Although the start was splendid it must not be thought that it was plain
sailing on following days for the Commissary Department. In fact, it
was much to the contrary and the men who had the responsibility of the
undertaking speak of that trip as a nightmare.
The winter days were short and war conditions required that nearly all
lights, inside the ship and out, must be extinguished one hour before
sunset. This condition meant that most of the work had to be done in
almost total darkness. No refuse could be disposed of until one hour
after sunset and all wood had to be burned. The men detailed for this
purpose were compelled to grope their way about a strange ship in the
dark.
The galley and bake shop were conducted under much the same conditions,
but the troops were fed. The _Leviathan’s_ standard bill-of-fare was
carried out in every detail.
WHO SAID PIE?
Because the _Leviathan_ was expected to arrive in port on Christmas eve,
a regular navy holiday dinner with all the fixings was given to all hands
on the day before. This dinner was given complete and went off smoothly
with but one hitch. As said before, soldiers have healthy appetites and a
strong affection for pie, and, in order to get more pie than their share,
a great many doubled back in the mess lines and perhaps more than once,
for there were over 15,000 rations of pie served out on that strenuous
day. For a while it looked as if we were going to be overwhelmed and
that the last thousand troops to go through the mess lines would not get
any holiday dinner, but a good substitute dinner was provided and it is
recorded that everybody was made happy.
All this work was accomplished under such adverse conditions and with
the added strain incidental to our first trip through the war zone, that
it was with relief we arrived in port and fed the soldiers their last
navy meal alongside the landing stage in Liverpool. Each man leaving the
ship was given a lunch to stay him on the next stage of his journey and
with it went the good wishes of the _Leviathan’s_ crew. The practice
of providing a lunch to debarking troops has been carried out in all
succeeding disembarkations.
IMPROVEMENTS
The big feat was accomplished and the rest given by the necessarily
long stay in Liverpool was well earned and enjoyed. As a result of the
experience of the trip, many improvements were made in the messing
organization and galley installation, the most noteworthy of which
was the abandoning of the galley forward, moving the kettles, etc.,
to the troop galley and giving up the two other mess hall spaces for
berthing—messing all the troops in the present large mess hall. This
brought about a consolidation of the general mess and made the task
easier.
Subsequent trips saw consistent improvement until a new record was
established during the thirteenth trip when about eleven thousand
home-coming troops were fed in seventy-six minutes best time and an
average time of about ninety minutes. Over 150,000 overseas troops have
been fed on the _Leviathan’s_ trips and the good ship’s commissariat has
become famous wherever the A. E. F. have gone. The _Leviathan’s_ apple
pie has been, to quote a returning wounded soldier, placed second in
popularity with the justly famous Salvation Army doughnut.
The success of the first trip was undoubtedly due to the earnest work
of all hands under the able direction of Paymaster Simon Pietri, Supply
Officer and Assistant Paymaster H. B. Judkins. The work in the galley was
ably directed by ship’s cook 1st class, later Chief Commissary Steward,
Martin J. Flynn, and it can be said without fear of contradiction, that
the entire success of the enormous undertaking depended largely on his
splendid judgment and ability. This must in justice also be said of Chief
Commissary Steward W. J. Linn, who took entire charge of the stores and
whose long and varied commissary experience helped us over difficulties
which at times seemed unsurmountable.
Subsequent trips under the direction of Paymaster Farwell and Paymaster
Edwards, his successor and present Supply Officer, have brought in their
wake many improvements so that now the _Leviathan’s_ Commissariat is
considered the standard of its kind.
The following is a sample of a day’s menu on board the _Leviathan_:
MENU
SUNDAY, APRIL 20, 1919
_Breakfast_
Oat Meal
Milk
Boiled Eggs
Fresh Fruit
Bread and Butter
Coffee
_Dinner_
Turkey
Tinned Asparagus
Mashed Potatoes
Pie and Cake
Bread and Butter
Coffee
_Supper_
Head Cheese
Creamed Potatoes
Bread and Butter
Coffee
_Quantities Used to Provide the Above_
Lbs.
Oat Meal 1150
Milk 1056
Sugar 1500
Eggs (doz.) 3180
Butter 660
Apples 6470
Coffee 400
Milk 480
Salt 10
Turkey 15581
Chicken 2021
Asparagus 2856
Mashed Potatoes 5850
Butter 675
Coffee 400
Milk 480
Sugar 400
Salt 40
Cake 5740
Head Cheese 425
Potatoes 800
Coffee 200
Sugar 200
Salt 20
Bake Shop:
Flour 7800
Yeast 135
Lard 130
Salt 100
Sugar 200
Cinnamon 4
Rations issued to 13,699.
The Supply Department
G. F. P.
“When do we eat? When’s pay day? When can I draw a pair of shoes? Got any
‘Bull’-an’ soap-an’ peanut brittle? Can you get us a piano, an anchor, a
car of lumber and a dozen 13 inch gadjets before we shove off?”—questions
that are part of the sailors’ existence and the cause of the Supply
Officer’s dilemma.
How well they are answered speaks volumes for the organization, zeal and
efficiency of the Supply Department. To feed fourteen thousand men (and
a thousand or so women, generals, admirals, diplomats, lieutenants and
bo’sns); to operate canteens throughout the ship that rival in their
activities Woolworth’s chain of stores; to keep the storerooms stocked
with every conceivable kind of supplies which are or may in any emergency
be required in the many departments of the ship; to clothe properly the
crew of more than two thousand men; to keep the accounts of these men and
to pay them twice a month; to—but limited space does not permit. Enough
to state that the patience of Job, the wisdom of Solomon, the agility
of Mercury and the persistency of Bryan are among the requirements
necessary to manage successfully the diversified activities of the Supply
Department. Verily, the life of the Supply Officer is far from being a
bed of roses.
Five distinct divisions of the Supply Department were organized during
the early days of going into commission—Commissary, Disbursing, Sales,
Storekeeping, and Officers’ Mess—each in charge of an Assistant Supply
Officer. The original plans of organization and operation, evolved by
Captain G. C. Schafer, were developed and carried out by Lieut.-Comdr. F.
Simonpietri, upon whom rested the responsibility of filling the office
of Senior Supply Officer on the _Leviathan’s_ maiden trip with more
than ten thousand men on board. Under his able guidance the routine
of the various divisions were systematized, improved and proven. Each
subsequent trip brought forth new problems which were masterfully dealt
with and solved by Lieut.-Comdr. Simonpietri and his able successors,
Lieut.-Comdr. N. B. Farwell and Lieut.-Comdr. E. C. Edwards. A silent
tribute to the results achieved by these Supply Officers is the fact that
to the large transports commissioned later the _Leviathan_ was called
upon to furnish many trained men as a nucleus for the Supply Departments
of these new ships, where _Leviathan_ methods were introduced and are
being successfully carried out.
During the early voyages Assistant Supply Officers Colburn, Barker,
Poggi, Waters and Judkins wrestled with their respective divisional
duties by day, and by way of diversion alternated as Senior Lookout
Officers by night, making hourly rounds of the lookout stations, from the
forepeak to the after crow’s-nest, fair weather and foul. Inclined a bit
toward rotundness, it was a ne’er to be forgotten privilege to see the
form of “Jeff” Colburn silhouetted against the starry heavens, en route
to the crow’s-nest. “Behold!” quoted “Doc” Carroll one cold evening, when
he espied “Jeff’s” figure looming in the shrouds like a square-rigger,
“behold yon sylph-like Romeo seeking his fair Juliet!”
Other assistant supply officers who have been assigned to the _Leviathan_
for duty or instruction are Messrs. Carter, Wrigley, Bishop, Harris,
Schuler, Hoffman, O’Shaughnessy, Stevens, Ingram, Finstemacher and
Miller. Of the “old timers” but Waters and Poggi remained to continue
“carrying on” in charge of the Storekeeping and Sales Divisions
respectively.
SALES DIVISION
The Sales Division comprises live ship’s stores (canteens) and the
clothing and small stores issue room. With troops on board, the canteens,
which are located in accessible parts of the ship, make approximately
ten thousand separate sales each day, with a total daily cash receipt
of about $5,000. The largest day’s business amounted to $6,498, another
record to be added to the many laurels already won by the Rainbow
Division, units of which were being transported at the time. As one of
the canteen storekeepers put it, “If those Rainbows can fight like they
can spend, I’d like to see them in action!”
On the shelves of these canteens may be found the usual line of
necessities—and luxuries—carried in all Navy canteens, but in unusual
quantities; from the most commonplace pair of shoe laces to the most
dainty package of bon-bons. Naturally, a vast amount of small items must
be handled to make up $5,000 worth of daily sales. And these sales are
made, not in leisurely lady-like fashion, over counter and show-case, but
through the canteen window to a never-ending line of clamoring sailors
and doughboys by but five storekeepers—one to each canteen. These five
“salesmen,” especially selected and trained for this type of duty, wait
on more “customers” in a day, it is believed, than any other sales people
in existence, including the busiest dispenser of wet-goods on Broadway
during that torrid spell just prior to July 1st, 1919.
In view of the reported atrocious activities of the Hun in our country
during the war, every precaution was taken to procure uncontaminated
supplies for use of the crew and troops. As a safeguard, samples of
edible stores taken on board were submitted to Surgeon Dunlap for
examination in the ship’s laboratory.
While the duties of the sales force are necessarily active and exacting,
discretion and tact are exercised in handling such a large body of
waiting “customers,” which accounts for the fact that errors and “kicks”
are few and far between.
In studying the likes and dislikes of the troops being transported, in
order to ascertain the varieties and quantities of canteen stores to
carry for sale, it was readily discovered that tastes of the various
units differ as widely as do their geographic origins. Hence, when a
division that originated in Dixie embarks, peanut candy to the tune of
from six to eight tons will be consumed during the voyage, together with
prodigious packs of cigarettes; when a mid-western outfit takes passage,
peanut candy and cigarette sales fall off, but large inroads are made
in the stock of chocolates, chewing tobacco and Navy postcards; when
far westerners like the Sunset Division come aboard mountains of “Bull
Durham,” brown cigarette papers, caramels and playing cards are broken
out of the store rooms, for the boys of the West are not strong for
chocolate and peanut candy, though they do “roll their own” and wear out
the ship’s police force by endeavoring to keep pinochle games going in
every conceivable part of the ship. But regardless of geographic origin,
stormy weather creates desires much akin to all doughboys—a desire to
lay off such joys as chocolates, bon-bons and poker; a desire to be
left alone, not too far from the out board rail, with a package of that
wonderful panacea, lemon drops, of which as many as three tons will be
consumed during a particularly stormy crossing. During a bit of heavy
weather, one of the ship’s wits, feigning much excitement, rushed into
a group of forlorn sea-sick warriors, to inform them that “Here comes a
torpedo—straight for us!” “Thank God,” came the answering chorus.
Aside from the fifteen tons of various candies loaded in Hoboken, each
trip witnesses the consumption of approximately two hundred thousand
cigarettes, twenty thousand cigars, three thousand packages of Bull
Durham and eleven thousand pieces of soap.
The Clothing and Small Stores issue to the crew about nine thousand
dollars’ worth of wearing apparel monthly. This active branch of the
Sales Division carries a stock of supplies valued at fifty thousand
dollars—from three cent spools of thread to twenty dollar overcoats. For
the hard to fit and the Beau Brummel C. P. O.’s, the made-to-measure
business is no small item.
The total annual business done by the Sales Division—sales to the crew
and troops, including transfers of stores to other ships and stations
in Europe, amounts to nearly half a million dollars. All items handled
by the ship’s stores are sold at cost, with but a very small margin of
profit. In some instances the selling price is lower than the cost. It
is endeavored to make not over ten per cent profit, the money thus
accumulated going to the entertainment fund, which provides the means
of entertaining the crew and troops with movie shows each night, and
various other activities and equipments which are necessary to keep the
boys amused and happy. The Disbursing Division of the Supply organization
is just what the name implies, and expends more real cash than a flock
of youthful Pittsburgh millionaires. Besides paying the volumes of
never-ending bills for never-ending supplies used on board, the pay roll
of the ship’s officers and men are kept by the yeomen, who comprise the
personnel of this division. The Disbursing Officer peels off seventy
thousand cold iron men each pay day, which happens twice a month. Pay
day, the day the Eagle does his big stunt, to the sailors is “Der Tag.”
The annual wages paid to the ship’s company approximates one million
eight hundred thousand dollars.
The Storekeeping Section procure and carry in stock all the varied
supplies used on board for the operation and maintenance of the ship. The
store-rooms are veritable storehouses, stocked with every conceivable
kind of supplies from deck swabs to grate bars.
One of the chief difficulties encountered during the early days was
to find spare parts for the German electrical equipment. Our American
standard equipment does not fit the German installations, and unless
spares could be obtained the whole electrical system would have to be
replaced with standard American fittings. Fortunately, there was quite a
stock of German equipment remaining in England since the pre-war days.
This had been carried in stock for the use of German ships calling
at English ports. Practically all of this stock was purchased by the
_Leviathan_, and was sufficient to run the ship until our own factories
could be equipped to turn out this type of supplies and equipment. When
the Army, Navy Yards and Shipping Board were clamoring for supplies, the
task of procuring stock in quantities demanded by such a huge ship was
indeed a difficult one. Thanks to the loyal co-operation of New York and
New Jersey business men, and the Naval Commandeering Board, sufficient
quantities of supplies were secured to keep going. A typical example of
the difficulties encountered can be illustrated by the activity necessary
to equip the ship’s hospital. The market was bare of such supplies,
due to the incessant demands from our own and our Allies Army and Navy
Medical Departments. Manufacturers of surgical supplies from all over the
country were appealed to. Some had one kind of instrument, some another;
from all of them finally evolved a complete and excellently equipped
hospital, equalled by none afloat and surpassed by few ashore. This one
purchase required nearly six weeks of effort and search to complete.
Some idea of the volume of supplies necessary to keep the good ship
running may be gathered from the following:
For washing the interior decks, etc., about six tons of soap, six tons of
soap-powder, and two tons of lye are used each trip.
The canvas bunk-bottoms represent an $85,000 purchase, while $6,000 would
be necessary to replace the bed sheets. Blankets for the staterooms
and hospital represent an expenditure of $30,000, while one of the
many manila mooring lines, each 720 feet long, thirteen inches in
circumference, and weighing 7,631 pounds, cost $2,403.77. The four-inch
anchor chain cost $2,869.42 for each ninety foot length.
[Illustration: RETURNING DOUGHBOYS]