The keel of Thémis was laid in 1847, but she took 15 years to complete: as her design would have been obsolete before completion, she was lengthened and fitted with a steam engine, and launched as a steam frigate.

From 29 July 1865 to the first of January 1866, she cruised the off Terre-Neuve under captain Amédée Ribourt.

In 1874, she was redesigned as a first class cruiser, and in 1878, she became the flagship of the Southern Atlantic division.

She later cruised the South China Sea, until she was decommissioned in 1882, and struck in November of that year.

This article about a specific military ship or boat of France is a stub.