History of the U.S.S. Leviathan, cruiser and transport forces, United States Atlantic fleet: Compiled from the ship's log and data gathered by the history committee on board the shipU.S.S. Leviathan History Committee
History
History of the U.S.S. Leviathan, cruiser and transport forces, United States Atlantic fleet: Compiled from the ship's log and data gathered by the history committee on board the ship
U.S.S. Leviathan History Committee
Leviathan (Steamship); Vaterland (Steamship); World War, 1914-1918 -- Naval operations, American
All signal flags and navigation instruments, including the three
chronometers which comprised part of her equipment were removed. The
ship was equipped with two master gyroscopic compasses installed on “G”
deck and seven repeaters for use on the bridge in steering and taking
bearings; these were all found to be more or less in need of repairs
and after days of hard and tedious work on the part of Lieut. W. H. F.
Schluter and his well organized staff they were put in fine condition
and have been kept in this manner constantly even though he has had to
add pieces of lead to each master gyro to maintain a level. Being of
German manufacture, no spare parts could be obtained during the war,
but whenever they were needed Lieutenant Schluter proved to be the “man
of the hour.” The gyros were only one of his many troubles for, being
electrical officer, there were numerous other duties about the ship.
There were a great many German charts left on board but the ship was
equipped by the Bureau of Navigation with American charts before leaving
port. The steering gears and all the telegraphs were changed to English
speaking. The deep-sea sounding machines are still in commission after
a great amount of usage, and the motors attached to them for heaving in
the lead are still in good working order. The patent log for measuring
distance is the “Forbes,” an English patent. Loudspeaking telephones
reached to all the principal parts of the ship, and are very much
used. A fire-alarm indicator is placed in the wheelhouse and is set at
fifteen-minute intervals. This indicator has pipes leading to all holds
through which the smoke from any fire in a hold would be drawn and can
be seen in the wheelhouse when the alarm goes off. A steam hose can be
connected to the pipe and the fire smothered. There is a control for
operating water-tight doors and a diagram showing location of each door;
upon this diagram an electric light burns when each door is closed,
showing the officer of the deck whether the control works properly.
The big 44-inch searchlight on the foremast is controlled very readily
from the bridge by a small lever; the fog bell is rung and all whistles
are blown by an electrical attachment. The master electric clock is on
the bridge and gives the time to 550 repeaters situated throughout the
ship. These clocks required a great amount of painstaking labor to be put
into good condition and demand constant care and supervision. During the
alterations in which first class staterooms were ripped out to make troop
quarters, the wiring system to the clocks was torn out by the workmen as
well as everything else which happened to be in their path.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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