The vessel served under two commanders who later became admirals, Captains Arthur Acland Hood and Edwin Tennyson d'Eyncourt.

In 1863, the ship's presence helped diffuse the Chesapeake affair that could have led to the British Empire joining the American Civil War.

The ship was equipped with a horizontal single expansion marine steam engine built by John Penn and Sons that had two cylinders, each with 55 in (1.4 m) bore and 5 ft (1.5 m) stroke.

[4] The main weapons consisted of twenty 8 in (200 mm) 42 cwt[Note 1] 32-pounder smooth bore muzzle loading (SBML) guns mounted on broadside trucks.

The warship was commissioned on 5 January 1855 under the command of Captain, later Admiral, Edwin Tennyson d'Eyncourt and completed on 29 March.

[6] The vessel served as part of a blockade of Russian ports undertaken by the French and British forces during the Crimean War.

[10] Although initially sent to help handle the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, the vessel's presence also proved useful during the San Juan Boundary Dispute during the following year.

[11] On 7 December, Pylades was the last Royal Navy warship to be deployed to the San Juan Islands, after which the risk of conflict de-escalated.

[2] An extensive refit was carried out, with much of the copper and wooden hull replaced, the decks removed and the boilers repaired.

[14] The ship was equipped with a new 15 ft 9 in (4.80 m) screw and, while undertaking trials on 31 December, achieved a speed of 10.373 knots (19.211 km/h; 11.937 mph).

[15] The ship, now rated at 1,278 bm, departed for the North America and West Indies Station on 13 January 1863 under the command of Captain, later Admiral, Arthur Acland Hood.

[16] While serving in Canada, the vessel played a role in the Chesapeake affair that took place during the American Civil War.