In 1818 María Isabel sailed under Captain Dionisio Capas with a convoy to the coast of Peru.

There the First Chilean Navy Squadron, under the command of Manuel Blanco Encalada, captured her at Talcahuano.

O'Higgins was Thomas Cochrane's flagship when he commanded the Chilean navy during the Freedom Expedition of Perú.

On 8 June 1823, O'Higgins suffered severe damage when she collided with the Chilean ship Lautaro in the Bay of Paraíso during a gale.

[2][3] During 1823, after a conservative coup on 28 January 1823 deposed O'Higgins, the new government under Ramón Freire renamed the frigate María Isabel again.