Savorgnan de Brazza was one of eight Bougainville-class avisos built for the French Navy (Marine Nationale) in the 1930s. Completed in 1933, she was assigned to the Far Eastern Naval Division (Division Navale de l'Extrême Orient) where she cruised amongst the islands of French Polynesia and the coast of French Indochina. The ship returned to France following the beginning of World War II in 1939 and played a minor role in the Dunkirk evacuation in May–June 1940 after the Germans invaded France. Savorgnan de Brazza sailed to Britain to avoid capture later in June.