USS Lejeune (AP-74)[3] was a German cargo liner that was converted to a United States Navy troop transport during the Second World War.

After the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, the Windhuk risked being trapped in Cape Town and sought a means for passage back to Germany.

To enter the port on 7 December 1939 the crew had renamed the vessel the Santos Maru, repainting the ship at sea and flew a hand-crafted Japanese flag.

On 11 June 1944, she began her wartime service in her new role as a US Navy troop transport with a voyage from Norfolk to Glasgow, Scotland, with 4,460 soldiers aboard.

In December, she made an Atlantic crossing with elements of the 69th Infantry Division, which was destined to meet Soviet troops on the banks of the Elbe River deep within Germany five months later, in April 1945.

From 19 October 1946 to 1 August 1947, she made a total of four trips to the Pacific, from San Francisco to Shanghai and Qingdao, China, and to Yokosuka, Japan.

She then sailed back to New York City, reaching her destination 29 August, and from there returned to San Francisco 25 September.

Many married Brazilian women and decided to stay in Brazil, which has had a significant German minority since early in the 19th century.

One group of former crew who stayed in Brazil after the war opened a restaurant in São Paulo named after the ship, serving dishes from her former passenger menus.