The Great Rescue: American Heroes, an Iconic Ship, and the Race to Save Europe in WWI

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Published in commemoration of the centennial of Americas entry into World War I, the story of the USS Leviathan, the legendary liner turned warship that ferried U.S. soldiers to Europea unique war history that offers a fresh, compelling look at this epic time.

When war broke out in Europe in August 1914, the new German luxury ocean liner SS Vaterland was interned in New York Harbor, where it remained docked for nearly three yearsuntil the United States officially entered the fight to turn the tide of the war. Seized by authorities for the U.S. Navy once war was declared in April 2017, the liner was renamed the USS Leviathan by President Woodrow Wilson, and converted into an armed troop carrier that transported thousands of American Expeditionary Forces to the battlefields of France.

For German U-Boats hunting Allied ships in the treacherous waters of the Atlantic, no target was as prized as the Leviathan, carrying more than 10,000 Doughboys per crossing. But the Germans were not the only deadly force threatening the ship and its passengers. In 1918, a devastating influenza pandemicthe Spanish fluspread throughout the globe, predominantly striking healthy young adults, including soldiers.

Peter Hernon tells the ships story across multiple voyages and through the experiences of a diverse cast of participants, including the ships captain, Henry Bryan; General John Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Force; Congressman Royal Johnson, who voted against the war but enlisted once the resolution passed; Freddie Stowers, a young black South Carolinian whose heroism was ignored because of his race; Irvin Cobb, a star war reporter for the Saturday Evening Post; and Elizabeth Weaver, an army nurse who saw the wars horrors firsthand; as well as a host of famous supporting characters, including a young Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Thoroughly researched, dramatic, and fast-paced, The Great Rescue is a unique look at the Great War and the diverse lives it touched.

Reviews

This fresh examination of the Great War will be appreciated by general readers and World War I buffs alike. -- Library Journal

Author Bio

Peter Hernon is the author of five books, including the New York Times bestseller Under the Influence: The Unauthorized Story of the Anheuser-Busch Dynasty (with Terry Ganey). Hernon worked as an editor at the Chicago Tribune, and before that was an investigative reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with his wife.