Between 1788 and 1795 she made five voyages as a Liverpool-based slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people.

The French captured her in 1798 on her sixth voyage transporting enslaved people after she had embarked her captives.

1st voyage transporting enslaved people (1788–1790): Captain John Holliwell sailed from Liverpool on 30 November 1788, bound for West Africa.

Bell left Dominica on 9 February and arrived back at Liverpool on 6 April.

Bell acquired captives at Cape Grand Mount and arrived Dominica on 24 May.

[6] Bell sailed from Dominica on 8 June and arrived back at Liverpool on 24 July.

[8] 3rd voyage transporting enslaved people (1791–1792): Captain Rigby sailed from Liverpool on 21 August 1791.

She started at Cape Grand Mount, continued at Bassa, but gathered most of her captives at New Calabar.

[3] 5th voyage transporting enslaved people (1794–1795): Captain John Richards acquired a letter of marque on 1 August 1794.

This led the government in the Danish West Indies to encourage the importation of captives prior to the ban taking effect.

Records for the period 1796 to 1799 show that 24 British enslaving ships, most of them from Liverpool, arrived at St Croix and imported a total of 6,781 captives.

[16] 6th voyage transporting enslaved people (1795–Loss): Captain David Thompson sailed from Liverpool on 24 November 1795.

One estimate puts the Dolben's Act cap on Bell at 347 captives, though it is unknown how many were actually aboard at the time of capture.