 The ship left Norfolk, Virginia, on December 7, 1857, but a series of mechanical breakdowns meant that she did not get to sea until the 11th, preceding to Madeira with the former President Franklin Pierce, his wife Jane, and their suite as passengers.The "Powhatan" made the run across the Atlantic without any further difficulties, reaching Funchal on the 27th, where the ex-President and his family went ashore.The frigate departed Funchal on January 6, 1858, calling at Jamestown, Saint Helena, where Trenchard visited Longwood House, the scene of Napoleon's captivity and death.