Rosalind was a steam cargo liner that was launched in England in 1890 for Dampfschiffs Rhederei zu Hamburg as Tosari.

In 1902 the Bowring Brothers' New York, Newfoundland & Halifax Steamship Company ("Red Cross Line") bought her and renamed her Rosalind.

[1] In 1890 and 1891 Dampfschiffs Rhederei zu Hamburg took delivery of four ships to the same design from shipbuilders on the River Tyne.

Sir WG Armstrong, Mitchell and Company at Low Walker launched Salatiga in September 1890 and completed her in October.

[9] On 9 May 1902 Bowring Brothers' New York, Newfoundland & Halifax Steamship Company bought the ship and renamed her after Rosalind in William Shakespeare's play As You Like It.

[16][17] On 14 November that year she struck the tug Douglas H. Thomas amidships in Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia.

[18] By 1914 City of Sydney's owner was the St Laurence Shipping Company, Ltd,[19] and her wireless call sign was VFO.

In thick fog at 03:00 hrs on 17 March her Master, Captain McDonald, was trying to find a lightship off the mouth of Halifax harbour when she struck Shag Rock, which is part of the Southwest Ledges off Sambro, Nova Scotia.

The rock is about 1 mile (1.6 km) southeast of Sambro Island Light, which was founding its fog signal at regular intervals at the time.

[21][22] Her wireless operator broadcast distress signals, which the Canadian Marconi station at Camperdown received, and forwarded by telephone to Halifax.

City of Sydney launched a lifeboat; which transferred 11 of her passengers and 30 of her crew to Rosemary; which landed them at Halifax.