Debarkations
During the war, debarkation on the first two trips to Liverpool was simply to march the troops over the G-deck forward, F-deck amidships, and G-deck after gangways on the landing stage in reverse order of embarkation, where they mustered by organizations and entrained. On the third trip to Liverpool, in November, 1918, the Leviathan ran her nose into the Mersey mud off the Gladstone dock in a heavy fog. The tide ebbed and the ship began to list. All the Mersey ferry boats were commandeered and the 8,000 troops were debarked on them from F-deck gangway amidships and G-deck gangway aft, in three hours. Gangways to the ferries in several cases were at an angle of sixty degrees. Debarkation was rushed to lighten the ship, and she was backed off on the rising tide that evening under her own power.
At Brest, during the war, a different plan was followed. Coaling began soon after the ship was moored. G-deck gangways aft, port and starboard sides, were the only gangways available to debark troops onto lighters. B-deck and the troop mess hall were used as debarking mustering stations. Organizations moved to them from their compartments, according to prearranged plan, as it was essential to send the troops ashore by organizations. B-deck held about 1,800 men with their packs and the mess hall about 1,200. When assembled, they moved to lighters lying at the after gangway. These held at first according to size, from 600 to 2,200 men and they were packed tight. Their capacity was reduced on later voyages.
The troops cheered the old Leviathan as their lighters drew away, and our men responded. The Leviathan carried many organizations which later paid heavy toll of casualties in battles.
When the armistice was signed and the westbound tide set in, it required considerable work to reverse the procedure of embarking at Brest and debarking at Hoboken. The entire embarkation was over G-deck gangway for all compartments up to the thirteenth voyage, as it proceeded during coaling.
The procedure of filling compartments was the same, but it was necessary to unload lighters quickly and get them away so the line of troops to compartments was extended to fill A-deck, B-deck, D-deck forward and aft, from whence the line of troops fed down into the compartments.
From 1,100 to 2,200 sick and wounded were embarked at the same time as the other troops, this was done under supervision of the medical officer, assisted by the hospital corps. The casuals were taken to sick bay or E-deck compartments especially set aside for them.
Debarkation at Hoboken was the quick and happy event following the reception the ship received coming up the harbor. G-deck forward, C and F-decks amidships, and G-deck after gangways are used. The troops march out on them in reverse order of embarking. Units muster on the dock according to their organizations. Briefly, the procedure resembles pouring liquid out of three different pitchers, just the reverse of filling the compartments upon embarkation. The debarkation of troops was completed in about three hours.
The dock was always a lively place with throngs of reporters and welfare workers present with refreshments and smokes for the boys. The canine mascots generally got aboard unobserved, but in debarkation they proceed with their proud masters down the gangways and are admired as returning heroes by those upon the dock. Many of the dogs were “prisoners of war,” having come over to the American trenches from the enemy.
Such, briefly, is the story of the loading and unloading of the Leviathan’s human cargo. The doughboys have bravely done their part in winning the war. We of the Leviathan have had the happy and important duty of getting them over safely and bringing them back home.