Lot Essay
Originally named Tromp, De Ruyter was built for the Engels Line by Stephen's of Glasgow in 1873. Registered at 2,280 tons, she measured 320 feet in length with a 36 foot beam and was intended for the company's Far East service. Almost wrecked on her maiden voyage in the Gulf of Suez, she was refloated, eventually repaired and then put onto occasional New York sailings in 1876 having been renamed De Ruyter the previous year. Chartered by the White Cross Line in 1879, she then started a regular North Atlantic service which continued until March 1894 when she was reported missing, presumed lost, whilst on passage from Antwerp to New York.