Built as "Suffren", the ship was commissioned in the Brest squadron of the French fleet. After her crew took part in the Quibéron mutinies, she was renamed to "Redoutable". She took part in the Croisière du Grand Hiver, the Battle of Groix, and the Expédition d'Irlande. At the Peace of Amiens, "Redoutable" was sent to the Caribbean for the Saint-Domingue expedition, ferrying troops to Guadeloupe and Haiti.