RMS City of Chester was a British passenger steamship that sailed on the transatlantic route from 1873 to 1898.
The ship was built by Caird & Company of Greenock for the Inman Line. At 4,566 tons she became the largest passenger ship afloat when launched on 29 March 1873 – a title she held until the 5,000-ton SS Britannic (1874) was launched in February 1874. Propulsion was by a 2-cylinder compound steam engine with nominal 850 horsepower, which drove a single 21 ft diameter screw, and she was also ship-rigged with three masts. On sea trials, sailing from the Clyde to the Mersey, she made over 15 kn.[2]
The ship was 444 feet long and 44 feet in the beam, and could accommodate over 1,500 passengers; 125 in 1st class, 80 in second class, and 1,310 in steerage. The first-class passengers enjoyed luxurious facilities; a walnut-panelled saloon with piano and library, a smoking room, and barber-shop. There was also a "Ladies Boudoir", and separate Ladies and Gentlemen's bath-rooms with marble sea-water baths. Forward, the steerage passengers slept in bunks.[2]