Fleuret 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 and was then reduced to reserve.

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 (5.1 in) Modèle 1932 guns in three twin-gun mounts, one forward and a superfiring pair aft of the superstructure.

The other side of the stern was intended to be used for the handling gear for a "Ginocchio" anti-submarine torpedo, but this was removed before Fleuret was completed.

They encountered only an unidentified British destroyer; Fleuret's fire-control director malfunctioned and she was unable to engage her opponent at all.

[5] 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 attack on Mers-el-Kébir, to Toulon; Fleuret arrived there on 15 October.

When the Germans attempted to capture the French ships in Toulon intact on 27 November 1942, Foudroyant, still in reserve, was scuttled by her crew.