1873 - built in Dundee by Stephens & Sons as the whaler 'Bloodhound'

1874 - purchased by the Admiralty on 5 December and converted for exploration, commissioned 13 April 1875

1875-1876 - captained by George Nares for the British Arctic Expedition to reach the North Pole via Smith Sound (the sea passage between Greenland and Ellesmere Island, Canada.)