The SS Rochambeau was a French passenger liner built in 1913 for the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique. It primarily operated on the transatlantic route between France and New York City. During World War I, the ship was used as a troop transport vessel by the French Navy. In 1926, the SS Rochambeau was reclassified as a cargo ship and its passenger accommodations were reduced. The ship continued to serve various routes until 1940 when it was seized by the British government. It was then transferred to Belgian ownership and renamed SS Leopoldville. Tragically, the ship was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine in 1944 while transporting American soldiers to Cherbourg, resulting in the loss of over 800 lives. The sinking of the SS Leopoldville remains one of the deadliest maritime disasters in the English Channel during World War II.

This description has been generated using GPT-3.5-TURBO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.