She operated as a letter of marque West Indiaman and in 1814 engaged in a noteworthy single-ship action with the American privateer Comet during which she repelled her more heavily-armed attacker.

Hibernia, which had sailing from London to St Thomas's, put back into Portsmouth on 1 March.

[5] In 1812, orders were issued that no vessels should leave St Thomas's without convoy, on account of the American privateers.

Hibernia and three other merchantmen, whose aggregate cargoes were valued at half a million sterling, had long been waiting.

Unwilling to detain them further, Governor Maclean had agreed to their sailing without convoy, on condition that Lennon hoist his pennant as commodore.

Although Rossie, Commodore Joshua Barney, an American privateer of superior force, harassed the British vessels, Lennon brought them safe into the English Channel on 18 October 1812.

He also repatriated the mate and crew of the packet Princess Amelia, which Rossie had earlier captured.

[12] Another report in an American newspaper described Hibernia as being of 800 tons burthen, and gave her casualties as eight killed and 13 wounded.

Adverse winds in the Channel and again off the coast of Australia delayed her voyage with the result that she arrived in Hobart on 11 May 1819 after a transit of 172 days.

When Hibernia reached Rio de Janeiro, Lennon asked Captain Robert Wauchope, of HMS Eurydice for assistance.

Eventually, Carter's inability to exercise tact when dealing with the clergy led to his dismissal from the convict service.