Feyzâ-i Bahrî was one of four wooden-hulled Mecidiye-class paddle frigates built for the Ottoman Navy in the 1840s; they were the first Ottoman-built warships powered by steam.

She served with the fleet until 1867, including during the Crimean War, where she saw a minor battle with a Russian frigate in the Black Sea.

Feyzâ-i Bahrî ferried soldiers to Crete during the Cretan Revolt in 1866 and was converted into a dedicated transport vessel the following year.

[2] Feyzâ-i Bahrî was ordered in 1845 as part of a modest naval expansion program aimed at building the first steam-powered ships of the Ottoman Navy.

[4] From Southampton, the ship proceeded to Woolwich and then to Spithead, where she met two other Ottoman vessels, one of which was the sail frigate Mirat-ı Zafer, and elements of the British Royal Navy, including the flagship HMS Victory, with which she exchanged salutes.

[7] The squadron was tasked with patrolling the eastern Black Sea coast of the Ottoman Empire, including Circassia and Georgia.

On 19 November, after the start of the war, Pasha took his squadron to Sinop to meet another squadron under Osman Pasha; while en route on 9 November, Feyzâ-i Bahrî and the other frigates encountered the Russian frigate Flora off Pitsunda but were unable to defeat her in a seven-hour battle.

To support the campaign to restore Ottoman control, the ship carried troops to the island in November, escorted by the sloop Ismail.