However, she was chartered to the White Star Line immediately for their South American route, and departed on her maiden voyage on April 27th 1873, from Liverpool to Valparaiso.

[4]: 357 In June 1879 the Peruvian ironclad Huáscar captured Rímac with 260 men of a cavalry regiment, weapons and ammunition.

This loss caused riots in Santiago and led to the resignation of the Minister of National Defense, Basilio Urrutia Vásquez, and the commander-in-chief of the Chilean Navy, Juan Williams Rebolledo.

[5] After the defeat of the Peruvian Army in the battles of San Juan and Miraflores, the Secretary of the Navy, Captain Manuel Villar, during the night of 16 January 1881 ordered the destruction of the port defenses and the remaining ships of the Peruvian Navy, including Rímac, to prevent their (re-)capture by the Chilean troops.

The order was executed by the captains Luis Germán Astete and Manuel Villavicencio during the dawn of 17 January 1881.