In 1821, the Chief of the Fleet, Admiral Garcez Palha, proposed to King João VI the construction of a new frigate. This proposal was approved three years later, and the construction would be financed by profits from the tobacco trade and subsidies from the Macao government.

Its design was inspired by another Portuguese frigate, the 'Duquesa de Bragança', much appreciated and praised by the British Imperial Navy, then at the height of its power and prestige, which copied it and built several similar ships. The shipyards of Daman were chosen because labour was cheaper there and because in a nearby enclave (Nagar Aveli) there was a large forest of teak wood, an exceptional wood for shipbuilding.

The ship is a 4-masted galley, from fore to aft: the jiggermast, the foremast, the mainmast, and the mizzenmast which, in the case of the galley, is called 'storm mizzen' because it has cloth round , like the other main masts.

In terms of armament and as a frigate, the ship was built to be equipped with 50 guns, 28 in the gun deck and 22 in the deck and forecastle. However, she was never actually armed as a frigate, as she was equipped less weapons, adapting the number to each mission. We should note that, throughout her operational life, this ship never engaged in combat.