Few details of these operations have been found; but we do know that, on the night of 11 October 1862, she succeeded in slipping through the Federal blockade off Mobile Bay and sailed to Cuba laden with cotton.

After arriving at Havana, Cuba, six days later, she delivered her cargo and filled up with lead, tin, medicine, wine, coffee, and other items needed by the South.

On 21 December 1862, Rear Admiral Theodorus Bailey detached Acting Master's Mate William C. Molloy from the recently arrived bark Gem of the Sea and ordered him to assume command of the schooner; and she began service as a tender to the squadron flagship, the frigate St. Lawrence.

sailing close to shore and immediately changed course to investigate The stranger attempted to flee; but, after a chase lasting over two and one-half hours, was overtaken and forced to heave to.

The prize proved to be the sloop Good Luck, bound from New Smyrna, Florida, with a cargo of turpentine and cotton to be delivered to Nassau, New Providence Island, in the Bahamas.

When Ariel took that Confederate sloop, she was in the Gulf of Mexico, some 70 miles west of Charlotte Harbor, Florida, and heading for Mobile, Alabama, with medicines and liquor.