LETTERS Decatur's Grave site enjoyed reading William White's "Heroes of the Sailing Navy: Stephen Decatur Jr." (Sea History 116, Autumn 2006). I was distressed, however, by the statemem that Stephen Decatur was buried in Washington, DC. I visited Decatur's grave site and that of his wife, Susan, in a church graveyard in Philadelphia. This obvious discrepancy in Mr. White's accoum leads me to ask if Decatur's remains perhaps were reinterred in the Philadelphia site after the burial in Washington. ]OHN E. BECK Leesburg, Virginia
I noticed Guy E. C. Maitland listed as a Trustee. Could he be related to an old shipmate of mine of the same name who
USS George Washington arrives in New York with President Wilson onboard, July 1919. served on the USAT George "Washington d uring World War II? Mr. Maitland and I were both senior engineers on the "GW," which was launched in 1908 as the German passenger liner, SS George "Washington. I presume that she was so named to attract the mass immigration from Russia, Poland, etc. The business of transporting immigrants across the Atlantic was a tremendous boon for shipping at the time and highly competitive. The story of the "Washington becoming a US troop transport is noteworthy. She transported President Woodrow Wilson to Europe at the end of World War I to the League of Nations' formative congress.
She was a fine vessel. As first engineer, I was in charge of the main engines-two giant reciprocating engines. Maitland was also classed first engineer, and he was responsible for all the auxiliary mach inery from the anchor windlass to the steering engines plus all the machinery in between. This req uired Maitland to spend a lot of time in the troop and passenger spaces. We carried a lot of the fair sex (i.e. nurses, USO performers, Red Cross personnel, etc.), and Maitland, being a personable individual, also saw to it that th ese passengers were properly entertained! GEORGE
T.
FITZGERALD
Clemons, South Carolina
From the Editor: As Mr. Fitzgerald noted, the story of USAT George Washington's "Lives" is worthy ofa Little more information. USAT George Washington (/!rmy Transport, 1919-21and1943-47) was originally named SS Geo rge Washington. She was built in Stettin, Germany, and could carry 2,700 passengers, many ofthem emigrants to the US. When World "War I broke out, the ship was in port at Hoboken, NJ. She stayed there, inactive, for nearly three years until the US entered the conflict and seized the ship. They converted her to a troop transport at the New York Navy Yard right away, and she began carrying troops to Europe early in December 1917. During the next two years, she carried some 48, 000 people to Europe and
Join Us for a Voyage into History snapped these photos ofDecatur's gravesite in ••liilllliilii.J Philadelphia. From the Editor: In this case, both are correct. Stephen Decatur's remains were temporarily deposited in the tomb ofJoel Barlow at "Washington, DC, and later were moved to Philadelphia. (Source: Stephen Decatur ZB file, Box 62, Navy Department Library.) USAT George Washington Shipmates A good friend sent me a copy of your most interesting magazine. I really enjoyed reading the articles and even the ads-please accept my "Well Done."
SEAHISTORY 117, WINTER2006-07
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