The River Rhine (; ; ; ; ) is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe at 1,320 kilometres (820 miles), with an average discharge of more than 2,000 cubic meters per second. The name of the Rhine comes from the Celtic Renos, literally "that which flows", from the Proto-Indo-European root *rei- ("to flow, run").

The Rhine , was a 1,691 ton, iron sailing ship with a length of 257.2 feet, breadth of 38.3 feet and depth of 23.1 feet. She was built by Russel & Company, Port Glasgow for the Nourse Line, named after the River Rhine which starts in Switzerland and flows via Germany and the Netherlands to the North Sea, and launched in 10 December 1885. She was primarily used for the transportation of Indian indentured labourers to the colonies.