The Rainbow was an iron paddle-wheel steamer for passengers and cargo, built in 1837 by John Laird in Birkenhead, England for the General Steam Navigation Company.

The engines were produced by George Forrester and Company from Liverpool.

[2] It covered 190 nautical miles in 14 hours during a passage to Antwerp.

[3] The ship has been described as "a landmark in naval architecture" and had "influence on Brunel", who traveled to Antwerp on the Rainbow.

[2] Sir George Biddell Airy, the Astronomer Royal, conducted experiments on board the ship about the influence of an iron hull on the workings of the compass.