HMS Leviathan (1901) deck so they could be used in heavy weather. Several twelve-pounders were removed to make room for the six-inch guns. The ship's waterline armour belt had a maximum thickness of and was closed off by transverse bulkheads. The armour of the gun turrets and their barbettes was 6 inches thick while the casemate armour was 5 inches thick. The protective deck armour ranged in thickness from and the conning tower was protected by of armour. "Leviathan", named after the Biblical sea monster, was laid down by John Brown and Company at their shipyard in Clydebank on 30 November 1899. She
SS Leviathan storm abated. The ship's orchestra, the SS "Leviathan" Orchestra under the direction of Nelson Maples, was also well regarded. Gramophone records were produced in 1923 and 1924 for Victor Records by the band, which would later become inspiration for the New Leviathan Oriental Fox-Trot Orchestra decades later. Captain Herbert Hartley commanded "Leviathan" from July 1923 until he retired in February 1928. Hartley published his autobiography titled "Home Is the Sailor" in 1955. By 1927 the "good years" were over, during which time U.S. Lines had been sold and re-nationalized. In 1929 "Leviathan" was finally allowed to serve "medicinal alcohol" outside