Promptly at 9:30 A. M., November 17, 1917, upon signals from the bridge, steam was admitted to the _Leviathan’s_ great turbines, the hull was felt to quiver slightly, and the greatest passenger carrying ship on the ocean backed smoothly from her moorings of three years into the North River. Here was another triumph of Yankee ingenuity. No blare of brass bands was heard, no cheering crowds thronged the river front, as, amid a fleet of eighteen tugs, the former pride of the German maritime world, manned by an all-American crew, straightened her course and under her own power, headed slowly for the open sea. On board were 241 marines, in addition to the crew, bound for Cuba to relieve a detachment of seasoned “Devil Dogs.” Prior to sailing, Captain Oman had issued an order, stationing these men in conspicuous positions about the upper decks, giving the appearance from the river front that thousands of troops were bound overseas to swell the numbers of the American Expeditionary Force. Anchorage was made off Fort Wadsworth that afternoon to permit a thorough inspection of machinery spaces. The result was that “The Engineering Department was in all respects ready for sea,” for, aside from a few minor repairs, the renewal of a gasket here, a nut tightened there, no defects were revealed. At high tide the morning of the 18th, she steamed slowly through Ambrose Channel, shifted to high pressure cruising combination and began speeding eastwards at eighteen knots. Numerous craft sighted the _Leviathan_, her course was noted by westbound steamers and thus was the rumor “confirmed” that she was on her initial trip to France, laden with thousands of troops. Throughout the day, under the supervision of Lieut. C. H. Boucher, gun crews were given instructions. Small arms, abandon ship, and fire and collision drills interfered seriously with the sighting of flying fish, leaping porpoises, and the discussion of “Why is the Gulf Stream?” Trouble was first encountered on the 19th, when a valve stem on the differential valve of the port steering engine broke. The ship is equipped with two steering engines and the starboard engine was quickly cut in and the voyage resumed. Similar trouble occurred the succeeding day, leaving the ship without power to hold her course. The engines were stopped and the _Leviathan_ lay helpless, a plaything of the winds and currents. ANXIOUS HOURS These were anxious hours for the officers and crew alike. Sleep was forgotten, personal comforts were of secondary importance. Lieut. Woodward haunted the steering engine room, pored over blue prints, conferred with assistants, advised and worked with the men. New stems fitted to replace the broken ones, permitted runs of short duration, then they, too, broke under the strain. A quantity of these stems, broken and twisted, were found in a store room, an indication that its former operators had experienced trouble of this nature.