The ironclad played a minor role as a flagship in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871, blockading the Baltic and North Sea coasts of Prussia.

The Provence class was designed as an enlarged version of the Gloire-class ironclads with thicker armor, more powerful guns, and better seakeeping qualities.

[4] The Provence-class ships carried enough coal to allow them to steam for 2,410 nautical miles (4,460 km; 2,770 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).

[1] Surveillante (Guardian)[6] was ordered on 16 November 1860 from the Arsenal de Lorient, was laid down on 28 January 1861 and launched on 18 August 1864.

[7] When the Franco-Prussian War began on 19 July 1870, the ship was mobilized and became the flagship of Vice Admiral (vice-amiral) Édouard Bouët-Willaumez's squadron that was tasked to blockade German ports in the Heligoland Bight.

It departed Cherbourg on 24 July and, failing to find any German ships, proceeded to Danish waters to wait for further instructions.

Bouët-Williaumez was ordered on 2 August to split his forces with half, including Surveillante, proceeding into the Baltic Sea to blockade the Prussian ports there under his command and the others to return to the Bight.

On 22 August the Prussian unarmored corvette SMS Nymphe approached the anchored squadron in the Bay of Puck off Danzig (modern Gdansk, Poland) and fired two broadsides at the flagship at long range without result before she was chased off.

Bouët-Willaumez was ordered to return to Cherbourg on 16 September where his squadron joined the ships blockading the Bight after their arrival on the 29th.

Surveillante was placed in reserve at Toulon on 14 February, but was reactivated on 1 March 1880 for trials and was assigned to the Mediterranean Squadron the following month.