"Minerve" was initially commanded by Capitaine Jaques Collet, entering service during the early days of the War of the Fourth Coalition between Britain and her allies, and Napoleonic France. In April 1806 she was part of a squadron—under Contre-amiral Zacharie Allemand and comprising five ships-of-the-line, five frigates, and four smaller vessels—anchored under the shore batteries of the Île-d'Aix awaiting the opportunity to put to sea. The British knew the location of Allemand's squadron; on 25 April Admiral Edward Thornbrough, sent the British frigate close to the Île-d'Aix to count the enemy vessels. Allemand ordered "Minerve" and three corvettes, "Lynx", "Sylphe", and "Palinure", to meet the British frigate, leading to a skirmish in which no ship incurred much damage. Three other British vessels subsequently approached—the frigate , the 16-gun sloop , and a cutter—and Capitaine Collet ended the engagement by sailing "Minerve" to a position under the shelter of the island's guns.