View source for SS George Washington

{{Short description|Ocean liner built in 1908 for the North German Lloyd}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Other ships|USS George Washington}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=George Washington Dampfer.jpg
|Ship caption= ''George Washington'' in 1909, as built for Norddeutscher Lloyd
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Ship country= [[German Empire|Germany]]
|Ship flag= {{shipboxflag|German Empire|civil}}
|Ship name= ''George Washington''
|Ship namesake= [[George Washington]]
|Ship owner= [[Norddeutscher Lloyd]]
|Ship registry= [[Ports of Bremen|Bremen]]
|Ship route= Bremen&nbsp;– Southampton&nbsp;– Cherbourg&nbsp;– New York
|Ship ordered=
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder= *[[AG Vulcan Stettin]], [[Szczecin|Stettin]]
|Ship original cost= US$6,000,000<ref>{{cite news |title = Steamship to cost $10,000,000 ordered by German company |newspaper = The Christian Science Monitor |date = 29 April 1912 |page = 14}}</ref>
|Ship yard number=286<ref name=Drechsel-374>Drechsel, p. 374.</ref>
|Ship launched= 10 November 1908
|Ship sponsor= [[David Jayne Hill]], [[United States Ambassador to Germany|US Ambassador to Germany]]
|Ship maiden voyage=Bremen&nbsp;– Southampton&nbsp;– Cherbourg&nbsp;– New York, 12 June 1909
|Ship nickname= Called ''Washington'' by crew<ref name=Drechsel-374/>
|Ship fate= Interned, 3 August 1914; seized by US, 6 April 1917
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country= United States
|Ship flag= {{USN flag|1919}}
|Ship name= USS ''George Washington''
|Ship operator= [[United States Navy|US Navy]]
|Ship acquired= 6 April 1917
|Ship commissioned= 6 September 1917
|Ship decommissioned= 28 November 1919
|Ship maiden voyage= 
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship renamed=
|Ship reclassified=
|Ship refit=
|Ship struck=
|Ship fate= Transferred to [[United States Shipping Board|US Shipping Board]]
}}
{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country= United States
|Ship flag= {{USN flag|1919}}
|Ship name= ''George Washington''
|Ship owner= [[United States Shipping Board]]
|Ship operator=*1921: [[United States Mail Steamship Line]]
*1921–1931: [[United States Lines]]
|Ship registry= [[Port of New York and New Jersey|New York]]
|Ship acquired=
|Ship maiden voyage= 
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship renamed=
|Ship reclassified=
|Ship refit=
|Ship struck=
|Ship fate=Laid up, 1931
}}
{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag= {{USN flag|1942}}
|Ship name= USS ''Catlin''
|Ship namesake= [[Albertus W. Catlin]]
|Ship operator= [[United States Navy|US Navy]]
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned= 13 March 1941
|Ship decommissioned= 26 September 1941
|Ship identification= [[Hull classification symbol|Hull number]]: AP-19
|Ship struck=
|Ship fate= [[Lend-lease]] to United Kingdom for one voyage; to [[United States Army]]
}}<!--
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|Ship country= United Kingdom
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{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country= United States
|Ship flag= {{USN flag|1947}}
|Ship name= USAT ''George Washington''
|Ship operator= [[United States Army|US Army]]
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=
|Ship recommissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship maiden voyage= 
|Ship in service= 17 April 1943
|Ship out of service= 21 April 1947
|Ship renamed=
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|Ship refit=
|Ship struck=
|Ship fate= Laid up 1947; sold for scrap, 13 February 1951
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption= (as built)
|Ship type= [[Ocean liner]]
|Ship tonnage= {{GRT|25570}}
|Ship length={{convert|213.07|m|ftin|abbr=on}} ([[Length between perpendiculars|between perpendiculars]])
|Ship beam= {{convert|23.83|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion= *twin [[Marine steam engine#Triple or multiple expansion|quadruple-expansion engines]] with coal-fired boilers
*twin [[propeller|screws]]
|Ship draft= {{convert|33|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name=NYT-great_liner>{{cite news |url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1908/11/11/105014544.pdf |title = Great liner is launched |newspaper = The New York Times |date = 11 November 1908 |access-date = 2008-08-01 |page = 4}}</ref>
|Ship depth= *{{convert|54|ft|m|abbr=on}} (from upper saloon deck)<ref name=NYT-praises_george>{{cite news |url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1909/06/14/101739806.pdf |title = Praises George Washington |newspaper = The New York Times |date = 20 June 1909 |access-date = 2008-08-01 |page = 4}}</ref>
*{{convert|80|ft|m|abbr=on}} (from awning deck)<ref name=NYT-praises_george/>
|Ship speed={{convert|18|to|19|knots}}
|Ship capacity=*Passengers:
* 520 first class
* 377 second class
* 2,000 third class
|Ship crew=
|Ship notes=two [[steamship funnel|funnels]], four [[mast (sailing)|masts]]
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Header caption=(as USS ''George Washington'')
|Ship type=transport
|Ship displacement=33,000 t
|Ship length={{convert|722|ft|5|in|m|abbr=on}} ([[length overall|overall]])
|Ship beam={{convert|78|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft ={{convert|36|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=coal fired later converted to oil fired [[boilers]], [[steam turbine]]
|Ship speed={{convert|19|knots}}
|Ship troops=
|Ship complement=749
|Ship armament=
*World War II:
* 4 × single [[5"/38 caliber gun]] [[gun mount]]s
* 4 × single [[3"/50 caliber gun]] gun mounts
* 8 × [[M2 Browning|.50-caliber]] machine guns

}}
|}
'''SS ''George Washington''''' was an [[ocean liner]] built in 1908 for the [[Bremen]]-based [[North German Lloyd]] and was named after [[George Washington]], the first President of the United States. The ship was also known as '''USS ''George Washington'' (ID-3018)''' and '''USAT ''George Washington''''' in service of the [[United States Navy]] and [[United States Army]], respectively, in [[World War I]]. In the interwar period, she reverted to her original name of ''George Washington''. During [[World War II]], the ship was known as both USAT ''George Washington'' and, briefly, as '''USS ''Catlin'' (AP-19)''', in a short, second stint in the US Navy.

When ''George Washington'' was launched in 1908, she was the largest [[German Empire|German]]-built steamship and the third-largest ship in the world. ''George Washington'' was built to emphasize comfort over speed and was sumptuously appointed in her first-class passenger areas. The ship could carry a total of 2,900 passengers, and made her maiden voyage in January 1909 to New York. In June 1911, ''George Washington'' was the largest ship to participate in the [[Fleet Review|Coronation Fleet Review]] by the United Kingdom's newly crowned king, [[George V of the United Kingdom|George V]].

On 14 April 1912, ''George Washington'' passed a particularly large [[iceberg]] south of the [[Grand Banks of Newfoundland]] and radioed a warning to all ships in the area, including [[White Star Line]] ocean liner {{RMS|Titanic||2}}, which sank near the same location. Throughout her German passenger career, contemporary news accounts often reported on notable persons—typically actors, singers, and politicians—who sailed on ''George Washington''.

At the outbreak of [[World War I]], ''George Washington'' was interned by the then-neutral United States, until that country entered into the conflict in April 1917. ''George Washington'' was seized by the United States and taken over for use as a [[Troopship|troop transport]] by the US Navy. [[Ship commissioning|Commissioned]] as USS ''George Washington'' (ID-3018), she sailed with her first load of American troops in December 1917.

In total, she carried 48,000 passengers to France, and returned 34,000 to the United States after the [[Armistice with Germany|Armistice]]. ''George Washington'' also carried US President [[Woodrow Wilson]] to France twice for the [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919|Paris Peace Conference]]. ''George Washington'' was decommissioned in 1920 and handed over the [[United States Shipping Board]] (USSB), who reconditioned her for passenger service. ''George Washington'' sailed in transatlantic passenger service for both the [[United States Mail Steamship Company]] (one voyage) and [[United States Lines]] for ten years, before she was laid up in the [[Patuxent River]] in [[Maryland]] in 1931.

During World War II, the ship was re-commissioned by the US Navy as USS ''Catlin'' (AP-19) for about six months and was operated by the British under [[Lend-Lease]], but her old coal-fired engines were too slow for effective combat use. After her boilers were converted to oil fuel, the ship was [[ship chartering|chartered]] to the US Army as USAT ''George Washington'' and sailed around the world in 1943 in trooping duties. The ship sailed in regular service to the United Kingdom and the [[Mediterranean]] from 1944 to 1947, and was laid up in [[Baltimore]] after ending her Army service. A fire in January 1951 damaged the ship severely, and she was sold for scrapping the following month.

==Design and construction==
[[File:George Washington Dampfer.jpg|thumb|The ''George Washington'' in 1909]]
[[File:George Washington Dampfer Kabine.jpg|thumb|1st Class cabin, 1909]]
[[File:George Washington Dampfer Treppenhaus.jpg|thumb|Staircase, 1909]]
[[File:George Washington Dampfer Wintergarten.jpg|thumb|Wintergarden and Saloon, 1909]]
[[File:George Washington Dampfer Kinderzimmer.jpg|thumb|Children's playroom, 1909]]

''George Washington'' was an ocean liner built within two years (1907–1908) by [[AG Vulcan Stettin|AG Vulcan]] of [[Stettin]], Germany (now [[Szczecin]], Poland), for [[North German Lloyd]] ({{langx|de|link=no|Norddeutscher Lloyd}} or NDL).<ref name=Bonsor-570>Bonsor, p. 570.</ref> Intended for [[Bremen]]&nbsp;– New York passenger service, the ship was named after [[George Washington]], the first President of the United States as a way to make the ship more appealing to immigrants, who then made up the majority of transatlantic passengers and believed formalities on arrival would be easier on a ship with an American name.<ref name=Time-new_german>{{cite news |title = New German liner |work=The Times |date = 11 November 1908 |page = 16}}</ref> ''George Washington'' was [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 10 November 1908 by the United States Ambassador to Germany, [[David Jayne Hill]].<ref name=Time-new_german/><ref group = Note>The launching was originally scheduled for 31 October 1908, but was postponed due to low water in the [[Oder River]]. See: Drechsel, p. 374.</ref> At the time of her launch, she was the third-largest ocean liner in the world, behind only [[Cunard Line]] ships {{RMS|Lusitania||2}} and {{RMS|Mauretania|1906|2}}.<ref name=Bonsor-533>Bonsor, p. 533.</ref> ''George Washington'' also became the largest German-built steamship,<ref name=Bonsor-533/> surpassing the [[Hamburg America Line]]'s {{SS|Kaiserin Auguste Victoria||2}},<ref>{{cite news |title = Launch of a steamship |work=The Times |date = 9 November 1908 |page = 5}}</ref> and held that distinction until the 1913 launch of Hamburg America's {{SS|Vaterland|1913|2}}.<ref name=Putnam-164>Putnam, p. 164.</ref>

After ''George Washington'' was completed, she was reported in contemporary news accounts as being {{GRT|27,000|disp=long}},<ref name=Times-new_north>{{cite news |title = New North-German Lloyd liner |work=The Times |date = 14 June 1909 |page = 15}}</ref> though present-day sources agree on a figure of {{GRT|25,570}}.<ref name=Drechsel-374/><ref name=Bonsor-570/> Her displacement was reported as being approximately {{convert|37000|LT|t}}, more than twice the 18420 t displacement of the British battleship {{HMS|Dreadnought|1906|2}}. She was powered by two [[quadruple-expansion steam engine]]s that generated {{convert|20000|hp}} and propelled her considerably faster than the {{convert|18.5|knots|km/h}} guaranteed by her builders. Because she was designed to emphasize comfort over speed, ''George Washington''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s engines consumed an economical {{convert|350|LT|t}} of coal daily, or about one-third as much as the Cunard speedsters ''Lusitania'' and ''Mauretania''. By using less coal, and, consequently, needing less space to carry it, the liner was able to carry up to {{convert|13000|LT|t}} of cargo.<ref name=Times-new_north/> The liner also featured the Stone-Lloyd system of hydraulically operated [[bulkhead (partition)|bulkhead]] doors for her thirteen watertight compartments.<ref name=NYT-peace_flag>{{cite news |url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1909/06/21/101886994.pdf |title = Peace flag greets new German liner |newspaper = The New York Times |date = 21 June 1909 |access-date = 2008-08-01 |page = 7}}</ref>

''George Washington'' had accommodations for nearly 2,900 passengers, with 900 divided between first and second class and the balance as third class or [[steerage]].<ref name=Bonsor-570/> The ship had only eight decks rather than a more typical nine, which gave her passenger accommodations a spacious feel.<ref name=Times-new_north/> The first-class passenger section included 31 cabins with attached baths,<ref name=NYT-peace_flag/> and the liner's imperial suites were designed by German architect [[Rudolf Alexander Schröder]].<ref name=NYT-third_largest>{{cite news |url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1909/06/20/106720002.pdf |title = Third largest ship due in port to-day |work = The New York Times |date = 20 June 1909 |access-date = 2008-08-01 |page = 3}}</ref> The second-class, third-class, and steerage compartments were fitted out in a "comfortable manner" suitable for each class.<ref name=NYT-peace_flag/>

The first class public rooms were "sumptuously appointed",<ref name=Times-new_north/> and included murals by German [[fresco]] artist Otto Bollhagen that commemorated the life and times of George Washington.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1908/12/27/104816463.pdf |title = New liner's fine frescoes |newspaper = The New York Times |date = 27 December 1908 |access-date = 2008-08-01 |page = C2}}</ref> First-class passengers could visit a separate lounge, a reading room decorated by [[Bruno Paul]], a two-story [[smoking room]], and their own dining room that spanned the width of the ship.<ref name=Times-new_north/> The upper and lower floors of the smoking room were joined by a broad staircase which helped, according to a report in ''[[The New York Times]]'', make it "one of the most attractive parts" of the first-class areas. The dining saloon seated 350 diners at small tables designed for between two and six diners in "roomy and moveable" red Morocco chairs. The dining room was decorated in white and gold, with a gilded dome rising above, while its walls featured floral designs executed against a blue background.<ref name=NYT-peace_flag/>

Other first-class passenger amenities aboard ''George Washington'' included a gymnasium with machines for "Swedish exercises", and two electric elevators for those who did not want to exercise at all.<ref name=Times-new_north/> There was also a darkroom open to amateur photographers; 20 dog kennels, along with a kennel master;<ref name=NYT-third_largest/> a {{convert|70|by|50|ft|m|adj=on}} [[wikt:solarium|solarium]] decorated with green and gold tapestry, palms, and flowers of all kinds; and an open air cafe on the awning deck for taking after-dinner coffee.<ref name=NYT-peace_flag/> Second-class passengers had a separate dining room, a [[drawing room]], and a smoking room, and third-class passengers had similar amenities.<ref name=Times-new_north/>

==North German Lloyd passenger service==
''George Washington'' began her maiden voyage on 12 June 1909, sailing from Bremen to New York via [[Southampton]] and [[Cherbourg]]. On board were 1,169 passengers which included a German press contingent;<ref name=NYT-third_largest/> Philipp Heineken, the ''Generaldirektor'' of North German Lloyd;<ref name=Times-new_north/> and a [[Common chimpanzee|chimpanzee]] named Consul, billed as "his Darwinian Highness", the "Almost Monkey-Man", who was coming to America under contract for the [[William Morris Agency|William Morris]] [[Vaudeville]] circuit.<ref name=NYT-third_largest/><ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite news |url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1909/06/21/101887003.pdf |title = Consul a lively ship passenger |work = The New York Times |date = 21 June 1909 |access-date = 2008-08-01 |page = 7}}</ref>

Upon her arrival in New York on 20 June, ''George Washington'' was greeted by the unfurling of the official banner of the League of Peace from the [[Singer Building]],<ref group=Note>The [[Singer Building]], then the world's tallest building at {{convert|612|ft|m}}, was {{convert|110|ft|m}} shorter than ''George Washington'' was long. See: {{cite web |url = http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=102519 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040602032850/http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=102519 |url-status = usurped |archive-date = 2 June 2004 |title = Singer Building |publisher = [[Emporis]] |access-date = 2008-08-01}}</ref> and docked at 18:30 at the North German Lloyd piers in [[Hoboken, New Jersey]]. Coincidentally, {{SS|Martha Washington||2}}, an ocean liner of the unrelated [[Austro-American Line]], was in port when ''George Washington'' docked in New York for the first time.<ref name=NYT-peace_flag/>

[[File:Departure of the SS George Washington (LOC).jpg|left|thumb|''George Washington'' departs from [[New York City]] c. 1910, as [[confetti]] is thrown from her decks.]]
On 22 June, the liner hosted a press luncheon,<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite news |url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1909/06/23/101887694.pdf |title = Luncheon on new German liner |work = The New York Times |date = 23 June 1909 |access-date = 2008-08-01 |page = 7}}</ref> and, the next afternoon, hosted some 3,000 members of the [[Daughters of the American Revolution]] who presented a commemorative bronze tablet. [[Stewart L. Woodford]], a former Congressman and ambassador, spoke at the ceremony dedicating the tablet, which was placed at the base of the staircase in the first-class smoking room.<ref name="autogenerated3">{{cite news |title = Tablet is unveiled to Washington on new German ship |newspaper = The Christian Science Monitor |date = 24 June 1909 |page = 7}}</ref> Beginning 24 June, the North German Lloyd opened ''George Washington'' to the public for five days of viewing of the new ship.<ref name=NYT-third_largest/>

Sailing on her first eastbound journey on 1 July,<ref name="autogenerated4">{{cite news |title = Miss Helen Taft will join houseboat party |newspaper = The Washington Post |date = 1 July 1909 |page = 7, col. 4}}</ref> ''George Washington'' commenced regular service between Bremen and New York with intermediate stops in Southampton and Cherbourg.<ref name=Bonsor-570/> North German Lloyd considered the ''Washington'', as her crew affectionately called her,<ref name=Drechsel-374/> such a success that they soon ordered another liner of similar, but slightly larger, size.<ref>Norddeutscher Lloyd, p. 68.</ref><ref group=Note>The new ship, SS ''Columbus'', was launched in 1913 and scheduled for her maiden voyage on 11 August 1914. The outbreak of the war cancelled her completion and the ship never sailed in passenger service for North German Lloyd. She was awarded to the United Kingdom as a [[World War I reparations|war reparation]] and was renamed {{RMS|Homeric|1922|2}} and sailed for the [[White Star Line]]. See: Drechsel, p. 433.</ref>

On 24 June 1911, ''George Washington'' participated in the [[Fleet Review|Coronation Fleet Review]] by the United Kingdom's newly crowned king, [[George V of the United Kingdom|George V]]. Stationed at the head of the second row of [[merchant ship]]s, ''George Washington'' [[Dressing overall|full dressed]] for the occasion<ref>See image of ''George Washington'' at the review in Drechsel, p. 374.</ref>—was reported by ''[[The Times]]'' as "by far the largest ship present".<ref>{{cite news |title = The merchant marine |work=The Times |date = 26 June 1911 |page = 10}}</ref>

While headed to New York on the morning of 14 April 1912, crew aboard ''George Washington'' observed a large [[iceberg]] as the ship passed south of the [[Grand Banks of Newfoundland]]. By noon the ship passed within a half-mile (900 m) of the iceberg, estimated by the crew at {{convert|112|ft|m}} above the waterline and {{convert|410|ft|m}} long. After recording the ship's position, ''George Washington'' radioed a warning to all ships in the area. The [[White Star Line|White Star]] steamship {{RMS|Titanic||2}}, some {{convert|250|nmi|km}} east of ''George Washington''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s position, acknowledged receipt of the warning,<ref name=Drechsel-33-34>Drechsel, pp. 33–34.</ref> one of several her radio operators received. On 15 April, ''George Washington'' received garbled transmissions that informed that ''Titanic'' had struck an iceberg less than twelve hours later, and in nearly the same position as the one that ''George Washington'' had reported.<ref name=Drechsel-33-34/> Edwin Drechsel, in his two-volume chronicle of North German Lloyd, draws comparisons between the iceberg photographed by ''George Washington'' (and first published in his book),<ref group=Note>Drechsel's father, Willy Drechsel, was the Second Officer on ''George Washington'' in April 1912.</ref> and a [[:Image:Titanic iceberg.jpg|better-known photo]] taken from the [[Hamburg America Line]] ship {{SS|Prinz Adalbert||2}}, purportedly of the ''Titanic'' iceberg. Drechsel suggests that the iceberg photographed and reported by ''George Washington'' may have been one and the same.<ref>Drechsel, p. 32.</ref>

===Notable passengers===
Throughout her Lloyd transatlantic career ''George Washington'' carried notable passengers to and from Europe. In August 1909 [[Sigmund Freud]] sailed from Bremen bound for New York on his one and only trip to the US. He was accompanied by his colleagues [[Carl Jung]] and [[Sándor Ferenczi]]. In February 1910, banker [[Edgar Speyer]], a [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Counsellor]] appointed by [[Edward VII of the United Kingdom]], arrived for a visit to the United States.<ref>{{cite news |title = Sir Edgar Speyer coming |work = The Christian Science Monitor |date = 12 February 1910 |page = 2}}</ref> Prince Tsai Tao, the uncle of the Emperor of China, departed in one of ''George Washington''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s imperial suites after a four-day visit to New York in May; the [[:Image:China Qing Dynasty Flag 1889.svg|Chinese Imperial flag]] flew from the [[mainmast]] in his honor as the ship departed.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1910/05/06/101229084.pdf |title = Tsai Tao sails away tired but grateful |work = The New York Times |date = 6 May 1910 |access-date = 2008-08-03 |page = 4}}</ref> In October, [[Henry W. Taft]], brother of US President [[William Howard Taft]] returned from a visit to Europe.<ref>{{cite news |title = H.W. Taft back from Europe |newspaper = The Wall Street Journal |date = 11 October 1910 |page = 2}}</ref> In December, disgraced Arctic explorer [[Frederick Cook]] arrived on the liner; conflicting opinions on the veracity of his claims of reaching the [[North Pole]] nearly caused a fight to erupt on board.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1910/12/23/104958530.pdf |title = Row aboard ship as Dr. Cook arrives |work = The New York Times |date = 23 December 1910 |access-date = 2008-08-03 |page = 1}}</ref> On the same voyage as Cook, German actor [[Ernst von Possart]] arrived for his first stage performances in New York in over 20 years.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1910/12/23/104958699.pdf |title = Ernst R. von Possart here |work = The New York Times |date = 23 December 1910 |access-date = 2008-08-03 |page = 13}}</ref>

Composer [[Engelbert Humperdinck (composer)|Engelbert Humperdinck]], after attending the debut of his opera ''[[Königskinder]]'' at the [[Metropolitan Opera]], sailed on ''George Washington'' in early January 1911 in order to attend the opera's [[Berlin]] premiere.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1911/01/04/104853215.pdf |title = Prof. Humperdinck sails |newspaper = The New York Times |date = 4 January 1911 |access-date = 2008-08-03 |page = 9}}</ref> US sculptor [[George Grey Barnard]] returned to New York in April amidst controversy over some of his works. An organization called the National Society for Protection of Morals was protesting the presence of nude figures in sculptures he executed for the [[Pennsylvania State Capitol]] in [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|Harrisburg]].<ref>{{cite news |title = Defends his nude statues |work = The Washington Post |date = 25 April 1911 |page = 2}}</ref> July saw ''George Washington'' transporting a menagerie of sorts. The liner was carrying a shipment from India of 6 white peacocks, 2 lions, 2 elephants, 150 monkeys, and some 2,000 canaries destined for the recently organized [[Saint Louis Zoological Park]].<ref>{{cite news |title = Peacock lost at sea |newspaper = The Washington Post |date = 6 July 1911 |page = 6}}</ref> In August, two men of note—both headed for Berlin—sailed on ''George Washington''. [[Nathan Straus]], co-owner with his brother [[Isidor Straus|Isidor]] of [[R.H. Macy & Company]], sailed as the US delegate to the third world congress for the protection of infants held in Berlin.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1911/08/20/104833587.pdf |title = Nathan Straus off for world congress |newspaper = The New York Times |date = 20 August 1911 |access-date = 2008-08-03 |page = 9}}</ref> Congressman [[Richard Bartholdt]], charged by President Taft to deliver a statue of [[Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben]] to the German government, sailed with the statue, which was a gift from the American people.<ref>{{cite news |title = U.S. ships statue of von Steuben |work=The Christian Science Monitor |date = 19 August 1911 |page = 6}}</ref>

Financier and philanthropist [[J. P. Morgan, Jr.]] returned from a two-month trip to Europe in November 1912;<ref>{{cite news |title = J.P. Morgan, Jr., home |work = The Christian Science Monitor |date = 25 November 1912 |page = 4}}</ref> his wife followed him home the next month.<ref name=NYT-german_christmas>{{cite news |url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1912/12/15/100600148.pdf |title = German Christmas liners crowded |work = The New York Times |date = 15 December 1912 |access-date = 2008-08-03 |page = C2}}</ref> Also arriving on ''George Washington''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s November crossing was [[Mary Garden]], a [[Scotland|Scottish]]-born [[soprano]], who was returning from a sabbatical in Scotland.<ref>{{cite news |title = Yes, Mary is still lovely |work =The Los Angeles Times |date = 26 November 1912 |page = I-5}}</ref> The next month, opera singers [[Frieda Hempel]] and [[Leon Rains]], both headed for appearances with the Metropolitan Opera, arrived on the same voyage as Mrs. Morgan. Hempel, a German [[soprano]], was with the [[Berlin Royal Opera]], and American [[tenor]] Rains was with the Saxon Royal Opera of [[Dresden]].<ref name=NYT-german_christmas/>

Newlyweds [[Francis Bowes Sayre, Sr.|Francis B. Sayre]], an assistant district attorney in New York, and [[Jessie Woodrow Wilson Sayre]], the daughter of US President [[Woodrow Wilson]], sailed in November 1913 for a European honeymoon. The couple, wed at the [[White House]], traveled in one of ''George Washington''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s imperial suites.<ref>{{cite news |title = Bridal pair is hidden |newspaper = The Washington Post |date = 27 November 1913 |page = 1}}</ref> The following January, English playwright [[W. Somerset Maugham]] quietly slipped out of New York on ''George Washington''. Maugham had arrived in New York in mid November to see [[Billie Burke]] in the New York premiere of his play, ''The Land of Promise''.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1914/01/05/100079963.pdf |title = Maugham praises our playwrights |newspaper = The New York Times |date = 5 January 1914 |access-date = 2008-08-03 |page = 9}}</ref>

[[Socialite]] and philanthropist [[Sarah Polk Fall]], left for a six-month tour of Europe in August 1923.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.familysearch.org/search/record/results?count=20&query=+givenname:%22Sarah%20Polk%22~%20+surname:Fall~%20+birth_place:Tennessee~%20+birth_year:1845-1850~|title=FamilySearch|website=familysearch.org|access-date=2018-10-22|url-access=registration}}</ref> She was traveling First Class to England. Her daughter Saidee Grant and her husband New York Banker Rollin Grant, along with their servants accompanied her for the journey. They returned to New York in February 1924.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9D4-GRK?cc=2185145|title=United States Passport Application|website=familysearch.org|url-access=registration}}</ref>

==World War I==
[[File:U.S. Navy Nurses - 111-SC-47436.jpg|thumb|upright|US Navy nurses crossing the Atlantic, December 1918]]
[[File:USS Florida - NH 78103.jpg|thumb|right|USS ''George Washington'' entering Brest harbor with President Wilson onboard, 13 December 1918. Taken from {{USS|Florida|BB-30|6}}, with the crew manning the rails.]]
''George Washington'' continued operating on the Bremen&nbsp;– New York route until World War I when she sought refuge in New York, a neutral port in 1914. With the American entry into the war in 1917, ''George Washington'' was taken over 6 April and towed to the [[New York Navy Yard]] for conversion into a transport. She commissioned 6 September 1917.<ref name=DANFS-GW>{{cite DANFS |author = Naval Historical Center |title = George Washington |url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/g4/george_washington-ii.htm |short = on}}</ref>

''George Washington'' sailed with her first load of troops 4 December 1917 and during the next 2 years made 18 round trip voyages in support of the [[American Expeditionary Forces]]. During this period she also made several special voyages. President [[Woodrow Wilson]] and the American representatives to the [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919|Paris Peace Conference]] sailed for Europe in ''George Washington'' 4 December 1918. On this crossing she was protected by {{USS|Pennsylvania|BB-38|2}}, and was escorted into [[Brest, France|Brest]], France, 13 December by ten [[battleship]]s and twenty-eight [[destroyer]]s in an impressive demonstration of American naval strength.<!--This includes ''Pennsylvania'' and the four destroyers that escorted Wilson across the Atlantic, read the ref for more--><ref>{{Cite news |date = 4 December 1918 |title = Big Fleet to Meet Wilson; Ten Battleships and 28 Destroyers Will Be in Escort |newspaper= The New York Times |page = 3 |url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/12/04/97048210.pdf}}</ref> After carrying 4000 soldiers back home to the US,<ref>{{Cite news |date = 15 December 1918 |title = Battleship Fleet sails for New York; Ten Dreadnoughts Homebound from Brest to Join in Christmas Celebration |work= The New York Times |page = 15 |url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/12/15/97051419.pdf}}</ref> ''George Washington'' carried [[United States Secretary of the Navy|Assistant Secretary of the Navy]] [[Franklin Roosevelt]] and the Chinese and [[Mexico|Mexican]] peace commissions to France in January 1919. On 24 February, she returned President Wilson to the United States.

The President again embarked on board ''George Washington'' in March 1919; arriving France 13 March, and<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/24300962@N02/2955411611/|title=Brest - USS George Washington}}</ref> returned at the conclusion of the historic conference 8 July 1919.<ref name=DANFS-GW/> During this voyage, the ship carried radiotelephone equipment, then a new technology, and during much of the trip Wilson was able converse with officials back in Washington.<ref>[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101048905242;view=1up;seq=776 "The Alexanderson System for Long-Distance Radio Communication: Duplex Radio-Telephony"]. ''The Electrician''. 16 December 1921. p. 759.</ref> The radio transmitter was also used to broadcast entertainment to the troops, and it was planned to broadcast Wilson's 4 July Independence Day speech to accompanying vessels, which would have been the first radio address by a US President. However, Wilson stood too far from the microphone, and the technicians were too intimidated to try to get him to stand in the correct spot.<ref>[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433062631878;view=1up;seq=260 "Radiophone Transmitter on the U.S.S. ''George Washington''"]. John H. Payne. ''General Electric Review''. October 1920. pp. 804-806.</ref>

During the fall of 1919, ''George Washington'' carried another group of distinguished passengers—[[Albert I of Belgium|King Albert]] and [[Elizabeth of Belgium|Queen Elizabeth]] of [[Belgium]] and their party. Arriving New York 2 October, the royal couple paid a visit before returning to Brest 12 November. Subsequently, the ship was decommissioned 28 November 1919 after having transported some 48,000 passengers to Europe and 34,000 back to the United States. The ship was turned over to the [[United States Shipping Board]] on 28 January 1920.<ref name=DANFS-GW/>

===''The Hatchet'' newspaper===
[[File:NewspaperMastheadTheHatchetOnUSSGeoWashington02171919.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Nameplate (publishing)|masthead]] of ''The Hatchet'' from February 1919, showing the newspaper writers involved.]]

Started in February 1918; as a means to relieve the stress the troops, sailors, and officers were under aboard a ship in the danger zone; it was written by officers who had previous literary experience and produced by men who had printing and publishing experience. It was printed on a small hand press&nbsp;– 5,000 copies with the first issue but this was increased to 7,000&nbsp;– and titled ''The Hatchet'' (a reference to the tale about [[George Washington]] and the cherry tree).<ref>Pollock, Captain Edwin T. and Bloomhardt, Lieut. Paul F. (compiled by), The Hatchet of the U.S. Ship "George Washington, 1919</ref> News from the ship and news received by radio were in the single-sheet newspaper. The masthead in 1919 listed the ship chaplain as managing editor and three reporters—one each from the Associated Press, International News Service and the United Press as "associate editors". The newspaper pages, printed on a shipboard press, measured about {{convert|9|by|8|in|cm}}. The newspaper's motto: "We Cannot Tell a Lie". Its front page claimed it had "The Largest Circulation on the Atlantic Ocean".<ref>Details about the paper are from scans from one edition of ''The Hatchet'' that was posted for sale on an auction website. See [[:Image:NewspaperFrontPagePartTheHatchetUSSGeoWash02171919.jpg|a part of front page]], [[:Image:NewspaperMastheadTheHatchetOnUSSGeoWashington02171919.jpg|the masthead]], [[:Image:NewsArticleTheHatchetNwprOnBoardUSSGeoWash02171919.jpg|a news article]], and [[:Image:NewspaperEditorialTheHatchetOnBoardUSSGeoWash02171919.jpg|an editorial]].</ref>

==Interwar passenger service==
After her delivery to the United States Shipping Board (USSB), ''George Washington'' was used to transport 250 members of the [[American Legion]] to France as guests of the French Government in 1921. The ship was then reconditioned by the USSB for transatlantic service, and chartered by the [[U.S. Mail Steamship Company]], for whom she made one voyage to Europe in March 1921. The company was taken over by the government August 1921 and its name changed to the [[United States Lines]]. In 1930, she transported the first group of American Gold Star Mothers to France to visit the graves of their sons. ''George Washington'' served the Line on the transatlantic route until 1931 when she was laid up in the [[Patuxent River]], Maryland.<ref name=DANFS-GW/>
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Four ex-German liners.jpg|thumb|left|Four ex-German liners are laid up from left to right ''Monticello'' (former {{SS|Kaiser Wilhelm II||2}} / USS ''Agamemnon'' ID-3004), USAT ''Mount Vernon'' (former {{SS|Kronprinzessin Cecilie||2}}), USAT ''America'' (former {{USS|America|ID-3006|2}}) and USAT ''George Washington'' laid up in 1939 in the Patuxent River off Chesapeake Bay]] -->

==World War II==
''George Washington'' was reacquired for Navy use from the [[United States Maritime Commission]] on 28 January 1941 and commissioned as USS ''Catlin'' (AP-19) on 13 March 1941. She was named in honor of [[Brigadier General (United States)|Brigadier General]] [[Albertus W. Catlin]], [[United States Marine Corps|USMC]]. It was found, however, that the coal-burning engines did not give the required speed for protection against [[submarine]]s, and she was decommissioned on 26 September 1941. Because of their great need for ships in 1941, Great Britain took the ship over under [[Lend-Lease]] on 29 September 1941 as ''George Washington'', but they found after one voyage to [[Dominion of Newfoundland|Newfoundland]] that her aging boilers could not safely maintain sufficient steam pressure to drive her otherwise serviceable engines. A secondary contributing factor was the difficulty in manning her with sufficient skilled stokers&nbsp;– the role having been supplanted with the steady introduction of oil fired ships in the 1930s.<ref>Bone, David W., E:''Merchantman Rearmed'', Chapter XIII. Chatto and Windus, London, 1949.</ref> With the ship unfit for combat service the British returned her to the [[War Shipping Administration]] (WSA) on 17 April 1942.<ref name=DANFS-GW/>

The ship was next operated under General Agency Agreement by the [[Waterman Steamship Co.]], [[Mobile, Alabama]], and made a voyage to [[Panama]]. After her return on 5 September 1942 the WSA assigned ''George Washington'' to be converted to an oil-burner at [[Todd Shipbuilding]]'s [[Brooklyn, New York|Brooklyn]] Yard. When she emerged on 17 April 1943, the transport was [[bareboat charter]]ed by the [[United States Army]] and made a voyage to [[Casablanca]] and back to New York with troops between April and May 1943.<ref name=DANFS-GW/><ref name=MARAD>{{cite web |url=https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/1948 |title=George Washington |author=Maritime Administration |work=Ship History Database Vessel Status Card |publisher=US Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration |access-date=7 June 2021}}</ref><ref group = Note>A coastal transport, ''George Washington'' built 1924 {{GRT|5284}}, was WSA operated from East Coast ports to the islands of the Caribbean. That ship was dubbed little ''George Washington''.</ref>

In July, ''George Washington'' sailed from New York to the [[Panama Canal]], thence to Los Angeles and [[Brisbane, Queensland|Brisbane]], Australia. Returning to Los Angeles, she sailed again in September to [[Bombay]] and [[Cape Town]], and arrived at New York to complete her round-the-world voyage in December 1943. In January 1944 ''George Washington'' began regular service to the United Kingdom and the [[Mediterranean]], again carrying troops in support of the Allies in Europe. She made frequent stops at [[Le Havre]], [[Southampton]], and [[Liverpool]].<ref name=DANFS-GW/><!-- This sentence is uncited: During a 10-day journey as one of four transports in an eleven-ship convoy transporting troops of the [[100th Infantry Division (United States)|US 100th Infantry Division]] from New York City to [[Marseille]], France, in October 1944, she encountered a hurricane for 48 hours beginning on 12 October during which the rudder needed repair. -->

''George Washington'' was taken out of service and returned to the Maritime Commission 21 April 1947. She remained tied to a pier at [[Baltimore]], until a fire damaged her 16 January 1951. She was subsequently sold for scrap to the Boston Metals Corporation of Baltimore on 13 February 1951.<ref name=DANFS-GW/>

==Awards==
*[[World War I Victory Medal (United States)|World War I Victory Medal]]
*[[American Defense Service Medal]]
*[[Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal]]
*[[European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal]]
*[[World War II Victory Medal]]
*[[Army of Occupation Medal]] with "Germany" clasp

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=Note}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |last = Bonsor |first = N. R. P. |title = North Atlantic Seaway |volume = 2 |edition = Enlarged and completely revised |place = [[Saint Brélade, Jersey]] |publisher = Brookside Publications |orig-year = 1955 |year = 1978 |isbn = 0-905824-01-6 |oclc = 29930159}}<!-- ISBN as printed in book -->
* {{cite book |last = Drechsel |first = Edwin |title = Norddeutscher Lloyd, Bremen, 1857–1970: History, Fleet, Ship Mails |volume=1 |place = Vancouver, BC |publisher = Cordillera Pub. Co |year = 1994 |isbn = 978-1-895590-08-1 |oclc = 30357825}}
* {{cite DANFS |author = Naval Historical Center |author-link = Naval Historical Center |title = George Washington |url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/g4/george_washington-ii.htm |access-date = 2008-08-01}}
* {{cite book |author = [[Norddeutscher Lloyd]] <nowiki>[</nowiki>North German Lloyd] |title = 70 Years North German Lloyd Bremen, 1857–1927 |year = 1927 |place = Berlin |publisher = Atlantic-Verlag |oclc = 6333314}}
* {{cite book |last = Putnam |first = William Lowell |author-link = William Lowell Putnam |title = The Kaiser's Merchant Ships in World War I |place = [[Jefferson, North Carolina]] |publisher = [[McFarland & Company|McFarland]] |year = 2001 |isbn = 978-0-7864-0923-5 |oclc = 46732396}}
{{DANFS}} <!-- link not included because it is cited in references, bibliography -->

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline}}
* {{navsource|09/22/22019|George Washington}}

{{Norddeutscher Lloyd ships}}
{{Unique United States Navy transports}}
{{1951 shipwrecks}}
{{George Washington}}
{{good article}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:George Washington}}
[[Category:Ships built in Stettin]]
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