She made two voyages as an "extra ship" for the British East India Company (EIC).

On her second voyage a French privateer captured her, but the British Royal Navy recaptured her shortly thereafter.

There she loaded rice on behalf of the British government which was importing grain to address high prices for wheat in Britain following a poor harvest.

Homeward bound, Britannia was at Culpee on 31 March,[a] and at Saugor on 19 April.

The French privateer Huron (or Herion) captured Britannia on 22 August 1798 as she returned to Britain.