She was originally built at Ferrol, Spain in 1790 by José Romero y Fernández de Landa as the Spanish ship of the line Intrepido,[1] one of the ten ships of the San Ildefonso Class, but was transferred to the French Navy in 1801 in accordance with the Third Treaty of San Ildefonso signed in 1800.

[2] On 21 October 1805, Intrépide was one of the ships of Rear-Admiral Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley at the Battle of Trafalgar, under Captain Louis-Antoine Infernet.

Dumanoir commanded the six ship vanguard of the French fleet, with Scipion, Duguay-Trouin, Mont Blanc, Intrépide and Neptuno.

Nelson's attacks left these ships downwind of the main confrontation and Dumanoir did not immediately obey Villeneuve's orders to return to the battle.

Intrépide fought against Leviathan, Africa, Agamemnon, Ajax, Orion and Conqueror, only to strike her colours at about 17:00, badly damaged with half of her crew dead.