The Great Rescue: American Heroes, an Iconic Ship, ad Saving Europe During WW1

I was given this book by Harper Collins exchange for an honest review.

Today's post is on The Great Rescue: American Heroes, an Iconic Ship, ad Saving Europe During WW1 by Peter Hernon. It is 368 pages long including notes and is published by Harper Collins. The cover has a picture of theLeviathan on it. The intended reader is someone who is interested in naval history and World War 1. There is mild foul language, no sex, and descriptions of violence and the war. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Published in commemoration of the centennial of America’s entry into World War I, the story of the USS Leviathan, the legendary liner turned warship that ferried U.S. soldiers to Europe—a 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 years—until 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 pandemic—the Spanish flu—spread throughout the globe, predominantly striking healthy young adults, including soldiers.
Peter Hernon tells the ship’s story across multiple voyages and through the experiences of a diverse cast of participants, including the ship’s 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 war’s 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.

Review- An interesting and quick read about one ship's effort to help with the war. The story starts with the war beginning and the Vaterland was stopped from going home to Germany, leaving the ship, the crew, and all the passengers stuck in America. So begins the years of war and change for the ship. From a new name the  Leviathan to a new purpose as the biggest troop ship in the American Navy, we travel with her and some of the people she took to and from Europe. With detailed notes from journals, interviews, and other first hand sources we learn the amazing history of this forgotten ship. Hernon touches briefly on the Spanish Flu and now I must get my hands on a book about it. I would recommend this book. 

I give this book a Four out of Five stars.