She made one voyage transporting convicts to New South Wales, returning to England via Canton.

[8] Under the command of John Davison, she sailed from Spithead, England on 12 February 1802, in company with Coromandel.

[13] The cattle too survived the voyage and Governor Philip Gidley King purchased them for the Government at £35 per head.

[11] Perseus left Port Jackson on 7 October bound for China,[14] despite having been hit by lightning.

Following the resumption of war with France in early 1803, concern developed in Britain about Napoleon's planned invasion of the United Kingdom.

The British government's response took many forms including the reactivation of Fencible regiments and the Sea Fencibles, a program of the construction of Martello Towers along the coasts of Britain and Ireland, and the commissioning of a number of armed defense ships.

The British East India Company in November voted to underwrite 10,000 tons (bm) of armed transports to protect Great Britain's coasts.

The vessels were: Albion, Anacreon, Atlas, Aurora, Chapman, Diadem, Duckenfield, Helder, Indefatigable, Lord Forbes, Lord Nelson, Norfolk, Paragon, Perseus, Robert, Sir Alexander Mitchell, Suffolk, and Triton.

[3] On 21 November 1803 Perseus, of 362 tons (bm) and 20 guns, was awaiting the designation of her station.