Their design included oscillating engines,[3] water tight bulkheads, and wire bulwarks, to reinforce the sides against the force of rough seas.

[7] The Fulton sailed on her first voyage on February 9, 1856, as a transatlantic mail steamer for Havre Steam Navigation Company, transporting passengers, cargo, mail, and specie between her home port of Southampton, New York, to Liverpool, England and Le Havre, France.

[5] Due to the outbreak of the American Civil War, government contracted mail service ceased operation.

[8] On April 15, 1865, the steamer Fulton left New York to Port Royal, South Carolina with the news of the death of President Abraham Lincoln.

The news of the assassination of the President fell with sorrow upon the officers at Port Royal, South Carolina.

[5][11] In 1868–1869, Fulton and her sister ship Arago were chartered briefly by the Ruger Brothers for passenger service.

However, without government subsidized mail service, both ships proved too costly for this purpose, given the stiff competition from more efficient screw steamers and European competitors.