Intrépide was intended to be one of five second-rank, 90-gun, steam-powered Algésiras-class ships of the line built for the French Navy in the 1850s, but her construction was suspended for many years before she was converted into a troopship in 1863.

The ships displaced 5,121 tonnes (5,040 long tons)[1] and Intrépide had a draught of 8.1 metres (26 ft 7 in) at deep load.

[2] The primary difference between Napoléon and the Algésiras class was that the boilers of the latter ships were moved forward of the engines.

During her sea trials, Intrépide reached a speed of 12.24 knots (22.67 km/h; 14.09 mph).

[3] Under Captain Claude Gennet, Intrépide was used as a troopship to bring the expeditionary corps of the French intervention in Mexico back to France in 1866–1867.