In 1802, Imperial Russian Navy officer Yuri Lisyansky travelled to England where he bought two vessels, Thames and Leander, on his own account.

Neva played a key role in the 1804 Battle of Sitka when the Russians recaptured Fort St Archangel Mikhail and the town from the Tlingit, who had captured it in 1802.

Neva was accompanied by Ermak and two other smaller, armed sailing ships, manned by 150 promyshlenniks (fur traders), along with 400–500 Aleuts in 250 baidarkas.

Although Hagemeister had originally planned to travel via Cape Horn, it was too late in the season to do so, so he sailed to Port Jackson instead for "wood and water".

[8][a] Neva left Okhotsk, Russia in August 1812 carrying 75 people and a shipment that included guns, furs, and some religious treasures.

[10] After enduring three months of storms, sickness and water shortages, Neva arrived in Alaska's Prince William Sound.

[4] In addition to crew members, many passengers died, including Terentii Stepanovich Bornovolokov, who was to replace Alexandr Baranov as Governor of the Russian–American Company.

It was the second gravest marine catastrophe in the history of Russian America, after Phoenix (or Feniks) was lost at sea in 1799 with all hands and passengers, including Joasaph Bolotov, and cargo, for a total financial loss of 622,328 rubles.