On 10 January 1831 the First Sea Lord gave orders that four paddle vessels be built to competitive designs.The vessels were to be powered by Maudslay, Son & Field steam engines, carry a schooner rig and mount one or two 10-inch shell guns.On 25 June 1842 she was recommissioned under Commander Andrew Snape Hamond (1811-1874), and joined the South America Station, before proceeding to the Pacific.After a refit at Sheerness she returned to Woolwich, and in January 1849 she moved to Plymouth where she joined the Steam Reserve.The Salamander was recommissioned on 17 July 1850 under Commander John Ellman, RN, and proceeded to the East Indies, where she participated in the Second Anglo-Burmese War.Arriving home in June 1856, she was used as a transport, but in late 1856 she proceeded northwards to search for missing British merchantmen overdue on their voyage from Archangel.More extensive repairs took place over the next few years, culminating in 1863 in the rebuilding of her poop and masts, and the overhaul of all her machinery.Over the next decade, the Salamander served in a number of ancillary tasks, mainly as a tug or a transport, under a variety of commanding officers.