Immediately after being built, Ganges sailed to India to commence trading between Calcutta and Australia where James Nourse hired her out to Sandbach, Tinne & Company, who were involved in the transport of sugar, coffee, rum and molasses, and indentured labourers.

As the Nourse Line went into the business of transporting Indian indentured labourers to the West Indies, Ganges made four voyages to Trinidad.

[1] She also made a trip to St Lucia and on the return journey in 1867 brought 451 repatriated labourers back to India.

[2] She was a fast ship, covering the distance between British Guiana and Cape Town in 42 days.

On 14 October 1881, she was wrecked on Goodwin Sands off Kent, en route from Middlesbrough to Calcutta with railway iron.