SS Rotterdam (1886)

History
(1878-1880)
Name	SS British Empire
Namesake	British Empire
Owner	British Ship Owners Co.
Operator	chartered to American Line and Guion Line
Route	Liverpool-Philadelphia
Builder	Harland and Wolff
Launched	18 May 1878
Maiden voyage	25 September 1878
Fate	Sold 1886 to Holland America Line
History
Netherlands
Name	SS Rotterdam renamed (1895) SS Edam
Namesake	SS Rotterdam (1886-1895) - Rotterdam SS Edam (1895-1899) - Edam, Netherlands
Owner	Holland America Line
Operator	Holland America Line
Route	Rotterdam-New York City (1886-1890, 1892-1895) Amsterdam-New York City (1890-1892, 1895-1899)
Fate	Scrapped in Italy in 1899

SS Rotterdam was a 19th-century ocean-going steamer. She was built in 1878 by the shipbuilding firm, Harland and Wolff, and had a gross tonnage of 3,361 tons.^[1] Originally named British Empire, she was owned by the British Ship Owners Co. and operated by the American Line.^[2] Her maiden voyage began on September 25, 1878, going from Liverpool, England, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 13 days, arriving on October 7, 1878.^[3] The Liverpool-Philadelphia line was her main route until being sold in 1886 to the Nederlandsche-Amerikaansche Stoomvaart Maatschappij (Dutch-American Steamship Company), more commonly known as the Holland America Line. She was then renamed Rotterdam, being the second HAL ship to bear that name. Her route was also changed to Rotterdam-New York City, later being modified in 1890 to Amsterdam-New York City. In 1895, her name was once again changed to SS Edam, of which she was the third HAL ship. She continued ferrying passengers and cargo across the Atlantic Ocean until 1899 after which she was scrapped in Italy.