U.S.S. Leviathan

U.S.S. Leviathan

USS Leviathan

World War, 1914-1918

Veterans--Florida

The USS Leviathan at harbor in 1918. The ship was acquired from Germany by the United States Navy in 1917, serving as a troop transport ship until it was decommissioned on October 29, 1919. Fred White (1898-1919) and the 547th Engineer Service Battalion were transported to France on board the Leviathan in October 1918.

Fred White was born on March 14, 1898, in Marianna, Florida, and was raised by his grandparents. He moved to Youngstown in neighboring Bay County, where he worked as a laborer. On June 5, 1918, he registered for the draft, adding a year to his age to make himself eligible. On June 15, he married Mamie Grey Kennedy. Two months later, on August 21, White was inducted into the United States Army and trained at Camp Joseph E. Johnston. He joined Company C of the 547th Engineer Service Battalion and departed for France on October 27, 1918. After the war, White succumbed to the influenza epidemic of 1918-1919 on February 1, 1919. White is buried in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery in Romange-sous-Montfaucon, France, at Plot C Row 7 Grave 3.

In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program continues, engaging a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in national cemeteries available to the public. The project engages UCF students in research and writing and fosters collaboration between students, faculty and local Central Florida schools to produce interactive curriculum for k-12 students. The corresponding website exhibit uses RICHES Mosaic Interface to create a digital archive of related data. The public can use the project-developed augmented-reality app at more than 100 headstones at four national cemeteries, two in Florida (Florida National Cemetery and St. Augustine National Cemetery) and two in France (American Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries at Aisne-Marne and the Meuse-Argonne), where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.

Digital reproduction of original black and white still photograph: U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph, NH 71.

ca. 1918

image/jpg

1.06 MB

1 black and white photograph

Still Image

New York Harbor, New York

Donation

History Teacher

Originally created by the United States Navy and published by the Naval History and Heritage Command.

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O'Neil, Rhiannon

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American Battle Monuments Commission. "Fred White." American Battle Monuments Commission. Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, France. Accessed September 3, 2018. https://www.abmc.gov/node/329776#.W40mOehKi01.

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NavSource. "Leviathan (ID 1326)." Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive. Accessed September 4, 2018. https://www.navsource.org/archives/11/171326.

Office of the Quartermaster General. "Fred White." U.S. Army Transport Service Passenger Lists, 1910-1939. Online database, Ancestry.com. Hoboken, New Jersey. Record Group 92, Roll or Box Number 477, NAI 6234477. Accessed September 3, 2018. https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=try&db=NARAWWITroops&h=1874029.

Selective Service System. "Fred White." U.S. World War I Draft Registratio Cards, 1917-1918. Online database with images, Ancestry.com. Bay, Florida. NARA microfilm publication M1509, Roll 1556878. Accessed September 3, 2018. https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=try&db=WW1draft&h=1664135.

U.S. Census Bureau. "Fred White." 1910 United States Federal Census. Online database with images, Ancestry.com. Cottondale, Jackson, Florida. NARA microfilm publication T624, Page 13B, Enumeration District 0056, FHL microfilm 1374176. Accessed August 31, 2018. https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=try&db=1910USCenIndex&h=186537488.