She was named for Joan of Arc, a Roman Catholic saint and heroine of the Hundred Years War.

The Alma-class ironclads[Note 1] were designed as improved versions of the armored corvette Belliqueuse suitable for foreign deployments.

Unlike their predecessor the Alma-class ships were true central battery ironclads as they were fitted with armored transverse bulkheads.

[2] On sea trials the engine produced 1,884 indicated horsepower (1,405 kW) and the ship reached 11.75 knots (21.76 km/h; 13.52 mph).

[4] Jeanne d'Arc had a complete 150-millimeter (5.9 in) wrought iron waterline belt, approximately 2.4 meters (7.9 ft) high.

The ironclads were steaming in beautiful weather at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) in two parallel columns, with Magenta leading one column, followed by Jeanne d′Arc and Reine Blanche, and Armide leading the other, followed by Thétis and Alma, when at 12:00 noon the admiral commanding the squadron ordered the screw corvette Forfait, operating as a dispatch vessel, to pass astern of Magenta to receive orders.

The impact was barely noticeable aboard Jeanne d′Arc, but her ram bow tore into Forfait's side.

[8][9] On 3 December 1875, Jeanne d′Arc became the flagship of Rear Admiral Bonie, but she was placed in reserve on 1 January 1876 at Brest, France.