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 United States Lines had been sold and re-nationalized. In 1929 "Leviathan" was finally allowed to serve "medicinal alcohol" outside US territorial waters to make her more competitive with foreign lines and was quickly sent on Booze Cruises to make money. The Great Depression was the final nail in the coffin and United States Lines actively lobbied for the Shipping Board to either take the "Leviathan" back or provide a subsidy for her operation. She was laid up at her pier in Hoboken, New Jersey, in June 1933, having lost $75,000 per round trip since 1929.