Vinh-Long, a 5500-ton screw steamship, was built in 1881 as one of several military transports needed to support France's colonial empire. She was employed as a hospital ship during the First World War, returning to her troopship role following the November 1918 Armistice. On 16 November 1922, while carrying 495 persons, including civilians as well as military and naval personnel, Vinh-Long caught fire in the Sea of Marmora, Turkey. Despite the efforts of her crew, the fire reached her after magazines, causing explosions that rapidly spread the conflagration throughout the ship. Despite the severity of the blaze, 482 of her passengers and crew were rescued by USS Bainbridge (DD-246). Thirteen people, among them two women and four children, lost their lives in the fire and subsequent efforts to abandon ship, while another man died of exposure on board Bainbridge.