It was briefly used in the Crimean War later that year before continuing operations between Suez and Calcutta, passing through the port of Aden en route.

On 5 October 1864, it encountered trouble during a cyclone in Calcutta and was driven ashore near King Oudh's palace and had to be refloated.

[1][2] In September 1867, Nubia rescued the passengers of Surat, which had run aground on a reef in the Gulf of Suez.

[3] From 1870, it was used for delivering freight between Liverpool and Bombay, and then it entered mail service in Alexandria from October 1872–3.

[1] Renamed Shaftesbury she served as a training ship, moored initially at Grays, Essex.