Ordered under the 1922 naval programme,[1] Ariane was laid down along with her sister ship Ondine[2] at Chantiers et Ateliers Augustin Normand in Le Havre, France, on 8 February 1923 with the hull number Q122.

[1] Her final equipping and armament for service took place at Cherbourg, France, from 1 June to 3 July 1929,[1] and she was commissioned along with her sister ship Eurydice[3] on 1 September 1929.

[1] When the British warships opened fire on the French ships in the harbor at 17:57,[1] beginning their attack on Mers-el-Kébir, Ariane was 4 nautical miles (7.4 km; 4.6 mi) west of Diane, which in turn was 3.5 nautical miles (6.5 km; 4.0 mi) west of Pointe de l’Aiguille (35°52′31″N 000°29′04″W / 35.87528°N 0.48444°W / 35.87528; -0.48444 (Pointe de l’Aiguille)) in Oran Province.

[1] Receiving word of the attack, French naval authorities at Oran ordered Ariane, Diane, and Eurydice to form a patrol line off Cape Falcon, Algeria.

[1] In October 1940, Ariane was placed under guard at Oran in an unarmed and unfueled status in accordance with the terms of the 22 June 1940 armistice.