Underway 16 November, the ship cruised along the northern coast of South America until returning to Pensacola, Florida, 25 January 1844.

She began a second cruise on 5 February, visiting Havana, Cuba, before proceeding north to Hampton Roads 8 March for repairs at the Norfolk Navy Yard.

As tensions escalated in the Gulf of Mexico, The USS Lawrence, Captain Samuel Mercer commanding, sailed south to join the Home Squadron on 14 June.

She spent the next year cruising along the Gulf Coast, providing security to American shipping in the region and helping suppress piracy.

After war broke out following a clash of arms in Texas on 25 April 1846, Lawrence cruised on a blockade station off the Mexican coast, remaining there until 17 June.