She was built from 1853 to 1863 in Rochefort as Intrépide. By the time she was completed, technology has elvolved so much that she was already obsolete, and she had to be transformed before she was launched. She was thus converted to mixed propulsion. In 1866-67, she ferried the French expeditionary corps from Mexico back home. She took part in the capture of Sfax on 16 July 1881, and was put in the reserve in 1887. In 1890, she was reinstated as school ship for the École Navale.