Victorieuse (Victorious) was the second ship of the La Galissonnière class of wooden-hulled, armored corvettes built for the French Navy during the 1870s.

[3] During sea trials her engine produced 2,214 indicated horsepower (1,651 kW) and the ship reached 12.75 knots (23.61 km/h; 14.67 mph).

Victorieuse was also ship-rigged with three masts and had a sail area of 1,730 square meters (18,600 sq ft).

The other two 240-millimeter guns were mounted in barbettes on the upper deck, sponsoned out over the sides of the ship, just forward of the funnel.

[5] The La Galissonnière-class ships had a complete 150-millimeter (5.9 in) wrought iron waterline belt, approximately 2.4 meters (7.9 ft)[1] high laid over 650 millimeters (26 in) of wood.

She was recommissioned as the flagship of the Pacific Squadron on 17 August 1878 under the command of Rear Admiral Abel-Nicolas Bergasse du Petit-Thouars.

The ship participated in the pacification of the Marquesas Islands in 1880, which had been conquered by the admiral's uncle (and adoptive father) Abel Aubert du Petit-Thouars forty years before.

[9] The ship was recommissioned as the flagship of the China Squadron on 1 December 1881 under the command of Rear Admiral Meyer.

That plan was later cancelled and Victorieuse was paid off in 1899, becoming guardship of the outer harbor at Brest until finally condemned the following year.