She served on many different stations during her career, including West Coast of Africa, in the Mediterranean and Black Sea during the Russian War of 1854 - 55, on the South East Coast of America, Cape of Good Hope where she went aground twice and the East Indies before being sold for breaking in December 1869.

Wasp was the seventh named vessel since it was introduced for a 8-gun sloop launched by Portsmouth Dockyard on 4 July 1749, and sold on 4 January 1781.

[1] Parthian was the second named vessel since it was introduced for a 16=gun brig sloop of the Cherokee class, launched by Bernard of Deptford on 13 February 1808 and wrecked off the coast of Egypt on 15 May 1828.

[3] The trial runs for Wasp, her engine generated 280 indicated horsepower (210 kW) for a speed of 8.178 knots (15.146 km/h; 9.411 mph).

[6] On 18 July 1856 she was commissioned under Commander Frederick H. Stirling, RN for service on the East Coast of South America.

[6] She ran aground twice during the commission, once between Table Bay and Simon's Town in South Africa on 25 August 1860, which required a docking in Mauritius,[7] and again off the coast of modern-day Mozambique, about 35 nautical miles (65 km; 40 mi) south of Cape Delgado in late January 1861.