SS Vauban was a 1912 steam ocean liner operated by Lamport and Holt Line and used on its service between New York and the River Plate. She was named after the French military engineer Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban (1633–1707). She was a troop ship in the First World War, resumed passenger service until 1930 and was scrapped in 1932. Building Vauban was the second of three sister ships that Workman, Clark and Company of Belfast built for Lamport and Holt in 1911–13. was launched in 1911, Vauban in January 1912 and in May 1912. The trio were similar in size to that Sir Raylton Dixon & Co built for Lamport and Holt in 1909. Vauban and Vestris had passenger accommodation slightly larger than that of their older sister Vandyck. Since 1906 Lamport and Holt policy was to name its passenger liners after artists and engineers beginning with "V". Together they became known as "V-class ships". Workman, Clark launched Vauban on 20 January 1912 and completed her that April. Her tonnages were , and . She was long overall, her registered length was and her beam was . She had five double-ended boilers to supply steam to a pair of Workman, Clark four-cylinder quadruple-expansion engines. Each engine had a stroke and cylinders of , , and bore. The twin engines drove twin screws, giving her a service speed of and top speed of . She had capacity for 280 first class, 130 second class and 200 third class passengers, and five cargo holds. Service history Vandyck, Vauban and Vestris were intended for Lamport and Holt's service between Liverpool and Buenos Aires via Vigo and Leixões and Lisbon. But in 1911 the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company had taken over Lamport and Holt. RMSP chartered Vauban for a new and quicker service between Southampton and the River Plate. For this she was briefly renamed Alcala and repainted in RMSP colours. By the end of 1913 RMSP had returned Vauban to Lamport and Holt and restored her to her original name and colours. However, RMSP effectively forced L&H out of the route between Britain and the River Plate. Lamport and Holt then transferred Vandyck, Vauban and Vestris to strengthen its service between New York and the River Plate via Barbados and Trinidad, where they became the largest and most luxurious ships on the route. But in July 1914 World War I began