 Marceau was ordered in October 1880 , but was not laid down until 27 January 1882 at the Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée shipyard in La Seyne @-@ sur @-@ Mer . Work proceeded slowly , and she was not launched until April 1890 . This was a result of the influence of Admiral Théophile Aube , who was the Minister of Marine in 1886 – 87 ; Aube was a staunch advocate of the so @-@ called Jeune École and opposed new battleship construction . Fitting out work was completed much more quickly , however , and she was commissioned into the French fleet on 14 March 1891 . After her commissioning , she joined a French fleet that visited Kronstadt and was inspected by Czar Alexander III of Russia . On the return voyage , the fleet stopped in Spithead , where Queen Victoria reviewed the ships . This turned out to be the only time Marceau operated in the Atlantic ; after returning to France , she was assigned to the Mediterranean Squadron , where she remained for the duration of her career . 
