The sister ship to the Imperator, and largest vessel in the world, is
the Leviathan. The Leviathan is 954 feet in length, and has a beam of
one hundred feet. She displaces 68,000 tons of water and has a mean
draft of 40 feet of water; has a speed of 24 knots, and carries 8,750
tons of coal when loaded and ready for sea. She was also one of the
Hamburg-American Line steamers, and was known as the Vaterland before
being taken over by the Navy.
The Leviathan was more fortunate in the cause of the Allied nations, as
she was on this side of the Atlantic when war was declared. The
Imperator was on the other side and she never ventured to sea again.
The "Levi," as she is affectionately known by her crew, transported
more than 110,000 troops to France and England before the armistice was
signed, and has been bringing them back at a 12,000 rate a trip ever
since. The Imperator was not taken over--as has been said--and has only
made three successful trips with troops, civilians and nurses since the
armistice. There is one redeeming feature about the "Imp" and that is
the fact that all the troops and passengers she does carry--are
homeward bound! Home to their beloved land for which they fought and
for which they unstintingly offered their lives to defend. The fact
that it is home matters not so much, but the fact that their homes are
in the great United States means all to them!