On 11 January 1806, Hiberniacapsized in the "Wembury River" — probably a reference to the River Yealm off Wembury, Devon, England — with the loss of 19 of her crew.[2] She was later refloated, repaired, and returned to service.
Hibernia was flagship of the British Mediterranean Fleet from 1816 until 1855, when she became the flagship for the Royal Navy's base at Malta and stationed in Grand Harbour.[citation needed] She remained in this role until she was sold in 1902.[1]
Nonetheless, she did also take on some non-Mediterranean duties in the post-Waterloo period, such as to transport convicts to the colony of New South Wales. In 1818–1819, for example, the ship carried 160 male convicts to Sydney from Portsmouth sailing on 20 November and arriving 18 June. Also on board as passengers were the first Minister of St James' Church, Sydney, Richard Hill and his wife.[3]
Hibernia was sold for £1,010 to Michele Apap on 14 October 1902 and broken up at Pietà in 1903.[5][6] Heavily-painted timbers ended up being used to fire local bakeries, which led to an outbreak of lead poisoning on the island.[7] A statue of the Virgin Mary, in her mantle as Queen of Heaven, was carved from a section of the ship's main mast and can be seen in the Collegiate Parish Church of St Paul's Shipwreck in Valletta. Her figurehead is now displayed at the Malta Maritime Museum, which is housed in the former Royal Naval Bakery building in Birgu, Malta.