Under Captain Émile François Guillaume Clément, comte de la Roncière, she joined the Rochefort squadron in February 1809.

By April 1809, Tonnerre was among ships of the French Atlantic Fleet blockaded by British Royal Navy warships at Basque Roads at the mouth of the Charente on the Biscay coast of France.

Tonnerre inflicted serious damage on Océan, although she quickly detached, allowing Océan′s crew to return their attention to the fireship.

[1][2] During the night of 11–12 April 1809, Tonnerre went hard aground in Basque Roads near Île Madame at low tide, flooded, and became a wreck.

[5] On 21 June 1809, Tonnerre′s commanding officer was court martialed on charges of abandoning his ship too easily and failing to follow orders.