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Captain Nordstrom writes:

"My memories of the voyage were pleasant, but then we officers traveled first class.  The enlisted men were down below.  Apparently the Cunard Line was doing its best to keep up standards in hopeful anticipation of the war's end.  The first class accommodations, where the officers bunked, were comfortable.  Service for meals was elegant and provided in a beautifully appointed dining room.  The enlisted personnel, if I remember correctly, were fed in crowded cafeterias on the lower decks.  It also seems to me the decks on which I strolled were relatively empty.  Since the ship was crowded with soldiers, I suspect there was some partiality in assigning places to walk too.  While on the ship, we were somewhat worried about submarines, mainly due to the presence of anti-submarine weapons on board, otherwise the voyage was uneventful."

Lt. Mike Blaesing remembers:

"There weren't enough lifeboats for 1/20th of the men on board the Mauritania."  As they left U.S. waters he noticed that they had no escort.  It was explained to him that the Mauritania didn't need an escort because she was too fast for a submarine to present a danger.  Nevertheless, about mid-voyage ship's radar picked up a submarine; the ship turned tail south to avoid it and spent the remainder of the trip zigzagging across the Atlantic.  On board, the men of the 702nd could hardly avoid thinking of the war and what it would mean to each of them.  The Mauritania arrived at Liverpool, England on April 30 and waited through the night beyond the mouth of the Mersey River for the tide to come in so the ship could port and the men disembark.

After disembarkation, the battalion was trucked through the Mersey River tunnels to Birkenhead, and from there to the encampment area at the Ladies Bidston Golf Club.  Many men spoke of the unique form of punishment implemented here for minor infractions.  This punishment, known as "Honey-bucket" detail, involved the dreaded job of emptying the buckets containing the odorous contents of the latrine into trucks provided by the British.  Where the Brits hauled it to, no one cared, except possibly the British.  Those not on the "Honey-bucket” detail and therefore not restricted to camp, were given passes to Liverpool.  This awe-inspiring visit gave many their first taste of the war and its reality became very evident to these American boys.  Sixty percent of the buildings in Liverpool were completely destroyed in German bombing raids.  Birkenhead had 60-70% of its buildings completely destroyed.