Chasseloup-Laubat had returned to France at some point before 1907, and she participated in a visit to the United States that year for the Jamestown Exposition.

After the start of World War I in 1914, Chasseloup-Laubat was converted into a distilling ship to support the main French fleet at Corfu.

The plan called for a total of seventy cruisers for use in home waters and overseas in the French colonial empire.

[3] The ship's propulsion system consisted of a pair of triple-expansion steam engines driving two screw propellers.

She was launched on 17 April 1893, the same day as her sister ship Friant, and was commissioned to begin sea trials on 15 September 1894.

[7] The ship was ready in time to participate in the annual fleet maneuvers with the Northern Squadron that began on 1 July 1895.

The exercises took place in two phases, the first being a simulated amphibious assault in Quiberon Bay, and the second revolving around a blockade of Rochefort and Cherbourg.

[9] She took part in the maneuvers that year, which were conducted from 6 to 26 July in conjunction with the local defense forces of Brest, Rochefort, Cherbourg, and Lorient.

[12] She had returned to France at some point before 1907, when she embarked on a visit to the United States in company with the armored cruisers Victor Hugo and Kléber.

In the former role, she replaced the old unprotected cruiser Milan, which had some of her boilers removed and installed aboard Chasseloup-Laubat for training purposes.

After the start of World War I, Chasseloup-Laubat was converted into a water distilling ship to support the Gallipoli campaign.

[6] For budgetary reasons, the Ministry of the Navy decommissioned the cruiser and sold her to the French fishery "Société Industrielle de la Grande Pêche" in 1921.