Profitless End

Pride of Germany in the spring of 1914, the Hamburg-American liner Vaterland, was the biggest ship afloat when she steamed out of Cuxhaven on her maiden trip to New York. She was nearly 1,000 ft. long, carried 2,646 passengers, drew 48,942 tons. On her third trip to New York the War broke and her owners tied her up at Hoboken for safekeeping.

In 1917 the U. S. seized the huge craft as enemy property, renamed her Leviathan, rebuilt her as a troop transport. In ten trips she carried 95,000 A. E. F. troops to France, brought 80,000 home. Awarded to the U. S. under the Versailles Treaty, she was reconditioned as an oil-burner in 1922 at a cost of $8,000,000. Returned to transatlantic passenger service in 1923 by the U. S. Shipping Board, she turned up huge losses, spent much of her time at her Hoboken pier.

In 1931 the Shipping Board sold her to International Mercantile Marine which contracted to send her on seven transatlantic trips a year for five years. IMM lost $500,000 on Leviathan, the first year, promptly clapped her back in her Hoboken hideout. Last spring, after spending $150,000 on improvements, IMM took her out again. She lost $143,000 on her first trip, was only half full on her fifth.

In her 21 years the Leviathan has carried more than a quarter of a million passengers, has never made a cent for her owners. Last week IMM found her so depressing a liability that it was willing to pay the Government $500,000 for permission to retire her permanently. She will be kept in running condition until the end of 1936, will then probably be taken over by the Navy for junking. In her stead IMM will build a 30,000-ton super-cabin-liner at a cost of some $12,000,000, as running mate to the popular and profitable Manhattan and Washington.

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