Collections Item Detail
Sepia tone photo of troopship U.S.S. Leviathan on Hudson River nearing the Battery, n.d., ca. March - Dec. 1918.
Photograph
Sepia-tone photo of the troopship U.S.S. Leviathan on Hudson River nearing the Battery, no date, circa March - December 1918.
6" high x 7-1/2" wide print. Photographer not indicated. Reverse has an illegible ink name; drymount tissue and remains of paper mounting tape.
Note: this item was originally framed with a U.S.S. Leviathan tally ribbon; see objects 2012.004.0010.02 or related.
The ship was part of the U.S. Army Transport Service based at the U.S. Army Port of Embarkation in Hoboken during World War I. The vessel was the former Hamburg-America Line's Vaterland that was confiscated and converted for transporting members of the American Expeditionary Forces across the Atlantic to France.
The stern and starboard side of the ocean liner is seen outbound from Hoboken with a large number of men on the upper decks. The photo is looking southeast and was taken from a New Jersey vantage point with the west side of lower Manhattan in the background.
Camouflage pattern in the British style called dazzle is painted on the hull and superstructure. It was painted in March 1918 and remained on it until December 1918 when the the ship was repainted an overall gray. (Per: http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-l/id1326.htm)
Notable New York structures include near the left: Singer tower, Equitable Life.
2012.004.0010.01
2012.004
Found in collection
Found in Collection
Museum Collections.
n/a
1918 - 1918
New York City
Date: 1918-1918
5 in
7 in
Fair
Notes: Received with original contemporary matte (unframed), brittle and broken in several pieces with some losses; no markings and not retained. Original or Copy: Original Status: OK Status By: dw Status Date: 2012-10-04