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, 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 battleships , , , and , rescued 230 passengers from the damaged liner. On 18 January 1916, Rijndam suffered damage when she struck a mine in the Thames Estuary during World War I. American singer Alice Sjoselius was aboard, and wrote home to her family in Minnesota about the event. Interned at New York later in 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. 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 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 ,