Stormy weather hindered our progress on the fourth day out. The seas were so heavy that both the Great Northern and Northern Pacific found great difficulty in keeping up with us. Finally, the Northern Pacific signaled to us that because of the seas she could make little progress and asked that the standard speed for the convoy be reduced to thirteen knots. This was granted and for fourteen hours the three ships labored in the heavy seas, spray breaking over the fo’castle and reaching to our forward smoke-stack. Toward evening the sea moderated sufficiently to allow the Great Northern and Northern Pacific to increase speed to sixteen and a half knots and then to twenty knots, until we picked up our escort of four destroyers at the ocean rendezvous.
All seven ships proceeded to Brest by the shortest route and in a fairly smooth sea. The Leviathan was shaken by an extremely heavy explosion and its suddenness surprised the men. The Chief Engineer reported everything O.K. down below and as far as we could see on deck there was nothing wrong with the ship; then the blinker light on the destroyer McDougal directly abeam of us, was observed flashing a message to us, which explained everything. The McDougal had accidentally dropped a depth charge from her stern. It wasn’t the first false alarm we had had and it was not to be the last.
Land was sighted on the afternoon of September 7th, and swiftly and smoothly the three transports ran into column formation, with the destroyers abeam and ahead of us, steaming majestically into the harbor of Brest. Looking around after mooring we saw the huge transport Mt. Vernon, formerly the German liner Kronprinzessin Cecilie, lying in dry dock after running a 250-mile race against threatened disaster. She had been torpedoed at eight o’clock the morning before and only the gallantry of her captain and crew, and the efficient system of water-tight doors, enabled her to make port at a speed of fifteen knots. It was indeed remarkable that we had escaped seeing “subs” the day before, for our course was almost identical with that of the Mt. Vernon’s. The Mt. Vernon was repaired and thereafter made two round trips to America and did its “bit” in bringing our soldier boys home.
To give the reader a fair idea of the ship’s routine on entering Brest and while coaling in the harbor, we again quote from the log of the ship:
| 6 P. M. to 8 P. M. | |
|---|---|
| 6:05 P. M. | Pt Du Minou abeam. |
| 6:10 P. M. | Mengam lighthouse abeam. |
| 6:20 P. M. | Pte Du Portzic lighthouse abeam. |
| 6:27 P. M. | Harbor pilot came aboard, proceeded to buoy. |
| 6:30 P. M. | Advanced clocks one hour. Engines working as required. |
| 8 P. M. to Midnight | |
| 8:02 P. M. | Arrived at buoy; proceeded to moor ship. |
| 8:33 P. M. | Ship moored and engines secured. |
| 8:36 P. M. | Secured steering engines. |
| Draft on arrival 36.7´´ forward, 39.5´´ aft. | |
| Mooring bearings—Pte du Petite Minou, 258½°; Pte de l’Ile Longue, 191.5°; Pt du Portzic, 278.50. | |
| 9:00 P. M. | Commenced to unload cargo; continued throughout watch. Lighter Knickerbocker placed coaling stages on port and starboard sides. |
| 12:00 Midnight. | Three lighters with coal arrived alongside. |
| Coaling until 4 A. M. | |
| 1:15 A. M. | Commenced coaling on starboard side. |
| 1:30 A. M. | Commenced coaling on port side. |
| Discharging cargo throughout watch. | |
| 4 to 8 A. M. | |
| Continued coaling and discharging cargo. | |
The disembarkation of troops and cargo was completed in short order and the Leviathan put to sea once more on the 12th of September. The bodies of thirty-six victims of the Mt. Vernon were on board, each body being draped with the flag which they had heroically died for. These thirty-six victims were trapped in the fire-room of the Mt. Vernon when the torpedo struck her and they had no chance to escape before the water filled the lower compartments. The loss of life would not have been so great had not the ship been torpedoed at a time when the fire-room watches were being relieved, for at such time there are almost double the number of men in the fire-rooms.
Our voyage back was interrupted but once. The Great Northern on our starboard, on the 13th of September, reported a periscope two miles astern of us and traveling to the southward. It disappeared almost as quickly as the periscope encountered on the eastern trip, and consequently no shots were fired at it. A vigilant watch maintained by the lookouts was without result, the submarine did not show itself again. On the 19th of September we were safe in New York Harbor and docked six minutes after the first line was ashore, a record achievement in the log of the capable and efficient docking superintendent, Capt. Walter J. Bernard.
Ninth Overseas Trip
We left our pier at Hoboken, September 29th and our ninth voyage overseas was underway. The following troops were on board:
Troops, 9,366; 57th Pioneer Infantry; September Auto Replacements Drafts from Camps McArthur, Humphreys, Hancock and Jackson; Medical Replacement, No. 73; 401st Pontoon Train; 467th Pontoon Train; 468th Pontoon Train; Water Tank Train No. 302; 323rd Field Signal Battalion; Base Hospitals No. 60 and 62, Female; Debarking and Billet Party 31st Div.; Major General Leroy S. Lyon, C. G. 31st Div.