Wednesday, August 23, 2017

THE GREAT RESCUE : AMERICAN HEROES, AN ICONIC SHIP, AND THE RACE TO SAVE EUROPE IN WWI
by Peter Heron

Almost two years later (minus one month) after the sinking of the Titanic on April 15, 1912, the most luxurious ocean liner made its appearance in New York. Germany's newest behemoth was called the SS Vaterland  and would eventually make four voyages from Europe to the United States. This boat was the biggest vessel at the time and its grandeur attracted many wealthy passengers. The total amount of people it was able to hold was 5200. By the time of its last trip on July 30, 1914, World War I had begun and the shop was ordered to remain in New York. It would stay docked for nearly three years before America entered the war. The government seized the ship for the U.S. Navy. President Woodrow Wilson renamed the liner the USS Leviathan, which in the Bible means "monster of the deep." From now on the Leviathan was to be used for transporting thousands of American troops to France fighting against the Germans. Needless to say, it was very successful considering that German U-Boats were constantly sinking American ships and the biggest prize for them would have been the Leviathan But by the end of World War I it had made nineteen crossings carrying over 100,000 soldiers.
The Great Rescue is not just about a huge ship that was completely revamped to fit in as many passengers as humanly possible. Author Peter Hernon writes about all of the interesting characters who were leaders in their own right: Henry Bryan, the captain of the Leviathan; General John Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Force; Freddie Stowers, a black man from South Carolina whose heroism with the 371st Regiment was basically ignored; and Irvin Cobb, a war reporter for the Saturday Evening Post. FDR makes an appearance (he was assistant secretary of the navy) and he is walking at this time. Polio has not yet surfaced. 
You feel as if you have a front row seat and are actually watching the fighting. I don't know how much has been written about Americans fighting with the French against Germany, but there's certainly plenty here to keep your interest. This is one of those books of unknown history that deserves to be read.
Recommended.