The ship was commissioned in September 1748 under Captain William Lloyd, and transported Governor Edward Cornwallis to Nova Scotia where he established Halifax.

In late 1751, now under Captain Edward Wheeler, she was deployed to the African coast and thence to Jamaica.

Returned to England, she was refitted at Deptford in 1755 and then recommissioned under Captain James Gambier for a fresh deployment to Jamaica.

On 3 December 1755, the Sphinx brought a French merchant vessel she had captured into Kingston.

She returned to England in late 1758 under Captain John Dalrymple to pay off into reserve, seeing no further service until she was sold for breaking up in 1770.