The Great Rescue audiobook

A very interesting book about World War One. Centered on a troop ship named he Leviathan. Which transported tens of thousands of American Troops to Europe. In between you read of the stories of that horrific war. The ill prepared " doughboys" bravely turned the tide of the war. The book told the story of the ship as it dodged German U-Boats bent on sinking the ship. The flu pandemic which spread among the troops as the war went on. Mustard gas, life in the trenches and I read this book because of the 100th anniversary of the ending of the war. There are many other books written and more on the way. I hope many people will choose to read at least one book on the topic. For no other reason than to pay tribute and learn about the people who fought this war.

1917. The name of an incredible WWI movie, and the year the United States entered said world war. The US' decision didn't come a moment too soon - after 3 years of devastating trench warfare on the European continent, the Allies were in a desperate position. They needed more soldiers, they needed them right away, and they needed them strong and ready to fight, or else they could never gain ground and reclaim lands that had fallen to German occupation in the early days of the conflict. And if they couldn't push the Germans back, they couldn't force Germany into surrender.Luckily, the US was pretty well positioned to ship the thousands of troops the Allies desperately needed. Back in 1914, when the hostilities first broke out in Europe, the American government seized a handful of German ocean liners that were in American ports at the time. Among this group was the pride of the German mercantile fleet: the SS Vaterland. The largest passenger liner in the world at the time of her launch in 1913, the Vaterland had had a bright future ahead of her, and while war derailed her intended purpose, she would prove to exceed everyone's expectations.Retrofitted as a troop ship, and renamed the USS Leviathan, the former luxury liner made several perilous trips across the North Atlantic, dodging German U-boats and that sea's notorious gales, bringing thousands upon thousands of American troops to France's shores. Danger lurked at every turn, not just in outrunning German submarines intent on sinking their former crown jewel, but also in a spreading influenza pandemic... one the world started calling the "Spanish Flu" as it raced around the globe, and even devastated the troop ships at sea.Peppered throughout Peter Hernon's masterful story of this revered ocean liner-turned-troop ship are the more intimate stories of the men and women who sailed on her: General John Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe, who was thrust into a war the Allies were losing; Corporal Freddie Stowers, a Black service man whose bravery in the longest and deadliest campaign of WWI helped turn the tide in the Allies' favor; newspaper reporters Irvin Cobb and Damon Runyon, who brought the horror of the trenches into the living rooms of people back home, and nurse Elizabeth Weaver, who sailed into the biggest adventure of her life.And while the USS Leviathan is the center piece of The Great Rescue, this book is more about the final year of WWI and the different people who fought in it. So it is a must read for anyone with an interest in the Great War. But I loved that the book was told from this perspective: a single troop ship racing back and forth across the North Atlantic, carrying the American "dough boys" who would ultimately bring WWI to an end.

Approaching the Memorial Day holiday, it is fitting I just finished this book. There is much about WWI that I do not know. In my high school U.S. History classes, we barely got to the 20th century by the end of semester, so treatment of this epic event was minimal. And certainly the story of a particular ship such as the USS Leviathan was never even broached. But Hernon presents a wonderful book about this ship, renamed after being seized from the Germans at the outbreak of the war. The Vaterland becomes the Leviathan. The Leviathan was the largest troop transport ship of the world at that time, with the critical task of getting U.S. Troops to France before British and French forces collapse before the overwhelming power of Germany. It was the number one target of the devastating U-Boat attacks by Germany on Allied shipping. And U.S. troops arrive just in the nick of time to keep the Germans from victory.One insight the book presented, to which I had been totally clueless, was the reality and impact of Influenza - not only on the ship, but among soldiers throughout the conflict. The flu almost determined the outcome of WWI!!! The insight of this reality were fascinating.The book made history 'real' by focusing on key players in the life-history of the boat - the 2 Captains, General Pershing, a black soldier named Freddie Stowers, news writer Irvin Cobb, nurse Elizabeth Weaver, congressman/soldier Royal Johnson - plus references to famous people such as FDR and Humphrey Bogart.Very well written, and with any interesting insights about this particular ship and the War in general, I think it would be very much enjoyed by anyone who enjoys U.S. history.

Great read and we'll written. World War I was a horrendous time, much learned and eye opening.....the situations of the flu on the ship, lack of training for the soldiers before they hit the front, using foreign weapons,disgusting trench living and warfare.So, so many deaths in individual battles, lack of experience using proper attack maneuvers.

Excellent summary of U.S. The first world warWorld war one as experienced by the liner S.S. Leviathan and a variety of those who traveled on her during the war through the eyes of correspondents, military enlisted and officers and her crew some famous and some other wise unknown

A very good relatively light read that bounces between the military history of the Leviathan (former Vaterand). I would have preferred a stronger focus on the ship that also followed her in more detail once she returned to passenger service.

Interesting read. A bit rushed at the end, but great information.

Thanks Dave

Great book and should be required reading for US history courses. Excellent storytelling by the author!

This excellent non-fiction reads like a novel, with stories on land and sea intertwined. As I didn't know a great deal about this era in history, much was learned about WWI -- and it motivated me to search for more historical information in-depth. So interesting!