While serving on the Pacific Station he obtained a brief measure of infamy when he occupied the Hawaiian Islands for five months in 1843, in an incident known as the Paulet affair.

Paulet went on to serve during the Crimean War, commanding a ship during the heavy fighting around the siege of Sevastopol in 1854 and the Battle of Kinburn in 1855.

[1] He was assigned to the Lisbon station, where he spent the rest of the Portuguese Civil War, based in and off the Douro and Tagus rivers.

He went to Bilbao on 17 December to render assistance and protect British property, but bad weather delayed his entry to the port.

[5] From Bilbao he proceeded to London to deliver despatches, after which he sailed to Portsmouth to pay off Nautilus, on which occasion he gave his officers 'a sumptuous entertainment'.

[citation needed] Paulet became captain of HMS Carysfort on 28 December 1841, and served on the Pacific Station under Rear-Admiral Richard Darton Thomas.

After investigating, Thomas declared on 31 July that the occupation was over and while he reserved the right to protect British citizens, Hawaiian sovereignty was to be respected.

During the bombardment of the Konstantin Battery on 17 October 1854 Paulet took Bellerophon in close to support the damaged HMS Agamemnon.

After signalling for assistance HMS Spitfire came to her aid, and Bellerophon was towed out of the line, on fire and with four of her crew dead and 15 wounded.