Promoted to mate in October 1853, Lyons transferred to the paddle frigate HMS Firebrand and took part in the blockade of the Danube Delta which was being held by the Russians at the start of the Crimean War [REF].
Lyons went on to be flag lieutenant to his uncle, now Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet in the first-rate HMS Royal Albert, in December 1854 [REF].