USS Rijndam ( ID - 2505 ) USS " Rijndam " ( ID - 2505 ) was a transport for the United States Navy during World War I . Both before and after her Navy service she was known as SS " Rijndam or Ryndam " as an ocean liner for the Holland America Line . History . " Rijndam " was launched during 1901 by Harland & Wolff Ltd . of Belfast , Northern Ireland , as a steel passenger liner for the Holland America Line . On 25 May 1915 , " Rijndam " was rammed by the Norwegian - flagged fruit steamer " Joseph J . Cuneo " about south of the Nantucket Shoals . Responding to the SOS , U . S . Navy battleship s , , , and , rescued 230 passengers from the damaged liner . Interned at New York during World War I , she was seized during March 1918 by United States Customs officials along with 88 other Dutch vessels , 31 of which entered U . S . Navy service . " Rijndam " was commissioned 1 May 1918 at New York for service as a troopship , with Commander John J . Hannigan in command . " Rijndam " departed New York 10 May 1918 on the first of six convoy voyages to Europe before the war ' s end , accompanied by , , British troopship , and Italian steamers and . The group rendezvoused with a similar group that left Newport News , Virginia , the same day , consisting of American transports , , , , , and , the British troopship , and the Italian . American cruiser served as escort for the assembled ships , which were the 35th U . S . convoy of the war . On 20 May , the convoy sighted and fired on a " submarine " that turned out to be a bucket ; the next day escort " Frederick " left the convoy after being relieved by 11 destroyers . Three days later the convoy sighted land at 06 : 30 and anchored at Brest that afternoon . On her return journey on 31 May 1918 , " Rijndam " was nearly torpedoed in the same attack by German submarine " U - 90 " that resulted in the loss of " President Lincoln " . " Rijndam " was able to avoid the torpedoes and , shortly afterward , nearly rammed a submarine cruising at periscope depth . On her next transport voyage , " Rijndam " left New York on 15 June with , , , , , Italian steamer , and British steamer " Vauban " and met up with the Newport News portion of the convoy — which included , , , , and British troopship — the next morning and set out for France . The convoy was escorted by cruisers and , and destroyers and ; battleship and several other destroyers joined in escort duties for the group for a time . The convoy had a false alarm when a floating barrel was mistaken for submarine , but otherwise uneventfully arrived at Brest on the afternoon of 27 June . " Rijndam " landed troops and supplies at Brest , France , on three more occasions through November 1918 , and called once at Saint - Nazaire during July . " Rijndam " made seven round - trip voyages from Quiberon , Saint - Nazaire , and Brest , France , following the end of World War I , returning U . S . troops and personnel to Newport News , Virginia ; Norfolk , Virginia ; Hoboken , New Jersey ; and New York . In March 1919 , " Rijndam " and raced each other from Saint - Nazaire to Newport News in a friendly competition that received national press coverage in the United States . " Rijndam " , the slower ship , was just able to edge out the " Matoika " — and cut two days from her previous fastest crossing time — by appealing to the honor of the soldiers of the 133rd Field Artillery returning home aboard her and employing them as extra stoker s for her boilers . She carried over 3 , 000 passengers on many of her 26 trips across the $ 3 , completing her active service upon arrival at New York 4 August 1919 from Brest . Transferred from the Cruiser and Transport Force on 11 August 1919 to the custody of the 3rd Naval District , " Rijndam " was decommissioned and returned to her former owner on 22 October 1919 at New York . " Rijndam " resumed her mercantile career under the Dutch flag , remaining active until scrapped during 1929 .