Épée helped to escort one of the battleships damaged by the British during their July Attack on Mers-el-Kébir, French Algeria, back to France in November.

The turbines were designed to produce 58,000 metric horsepower (42,659 kW; 57,207 shp), which was intended to give the ships a maximum speed of 37 knots (69 km/h; 43 mph).

[3] The main armament of the Le Hardi-class ships consisted of six Canon de 130 mm Modèle 1932 guns in three twin mounts, one forward and a superfiring pair aft of the superstructure.

In addition a pair of single mounts for Browning 13.2-millimeter AA machine guns were added on platforms on the sides of the superfiring turret aft.

On 28 July, Épée and Le Hardi sailed for Dakar, French West Africa and the former arrived back at Casablanca on 10 September.

[7] The following months saw five of the Le Hardi-class ships ordered to Oran to escort the battleship Provence, which had been damaged during the July British attack on Mers-el-Kébir, Algeria, to Toulon; Épée arrived there on 5 November.

The Italians raised her on 20 April 1943 and redesignated her as FR33, but the ship was badly damaged during Allied bombing raids on 24 November 1943 and 4 February 1944; she was refloated in September 1945 and broken up.