Later renamed Skobelev, Vityaz spent much of its career as an oceanographic research vessel, completing two circumnavigations of the world in this capacity.

[1] Equipped with a 160 nominal horsepower/1,618 ihp (1,207 kW) steam engine built by the Belgian company John Cockerill, Vityaz was capable of a speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph).

[1] In 1863 and 1864, Vityaz participated in an expedition to North America as part of the squadron of Rear Admiral S.S. Lesovsky (ru).

Sailing from St. Petersburg on a survey mission, Vityaz crossed the Atlantic Ocean and passed through the Strait of Magellan, accompanied by the ethnologist Nicholas Miklouho-Maclay.

[3] On September 20, 1871, Vityaz deposited Miklouho-Maclay at Astrolabe Bay on New Guinea, where he remained conducting research work for fifteen months.

[4][5] On 30 August 1863, Vityaz rescued all on board the German barque Charlotte Christine, which had been wrecked whilst on a voyage from Vladivostok, Russia to Chefoo, China.

After stops in Japan, China, India, and the Arabian Peninsula, Vityaz passed through the Suez Canal, the Strait of Gibraltar, and the English Channel and returned to Kronstadt.

A second steam corvette of the Russian navy named Vityaz (ru) launched in 1883, when the older vessel remained in operation as Skobelev.