[2] Decommissioned after the cruise, Souverain was reactivated on 1 April 1846 to serve as the flagship of Joinville's escadre d’évolutions, with Captain Charner as flag officer.

Baudin set his mark on Friedland, while Souverain, under Captain Le Barbier de Titian, remained as one of the strongest units of the squadron.

[2] From November 1853, engineer Sylvestre du Perron directed work on Souverain to add a 600-shp steam engine, after plans by Henri Dupuy de Lôme, without lengthening the ship;[3] Souverain started her new trials in June 1857, under Commander de Jouslard.

Souverain was listed in the reserve between 1863 and November 1866, when she took part in the French retreat from Mexico, under Captain Leblanc.

At this point, Couronne replaced her as school-ship for gunnery training, and she became a pontoon used as barracks for the Infanterie coloniale[3] in Toulon.