Having languished in political limbo at her Hoboken pier until April 1922, a decision was finally made and $8,000,000 in funds were allocated to sail "Leviathan" to Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia, for her 14-month reconditioning and refurbishment. War duty and age meant that all wiring, plumbing, and interior layouts were stripped and redesigned while her hull was strengthened and her boilers converted from coal to oil while being refurbished; virtually a new ship emerged.