She was funded by a don des vaisseaux donation from the chamber of commerce of Marseille.

Built with state-of-the-art plans by Sané, she was dubbed the "finest ship of the century".

Her construction was difficult because of a lack of wood, and soon after her completion, she was disarmed, in March 1791.

Commerce de Marseille came under British control during the Siege of Toulon.

She was briefly used as a stores ship, but on a journey to the Caribbean Sea, in 1795, she was badly damaged in a storm and had to limp back to Portsmouth.