The Arquebuse class was designed as a faster version of the preceding . The ships had an overall length of 56.58sp=usNaNsp=us,[1] a beam of 6.3m (20.7feet), and a maximum draft of 3.2m (10.5feet).[2] They normally displaced 307sp=usNaNsp=us and at deep load. The two vertical triple-expansion steam engines each drove one propeller shaft using steam provided by two du Temple Guyot or Normand boilers. The engines were designed to produce a total of 6300ihp[1] for a designed speed of 28kn,[3] all the ships exceeded their contracted speed during their sea trials[1] with Bombarde reaching a speed of . They carried enough coal to give them a range of 2300nmi at .[4] Their crew consisted of four officers and fifty-eight enlisted men.[1]
The main armament of the Arquebuse-class ships consisted of a single 65mm gun forward of the bridge and six 47adj=onNaNadj=on Hotchkiss guns in single mounts, three on each broadside. They were fitted with two single rotating mounts for 381mm torpedo tubes on the centerline, one between the funnels and the other on the stern.[1]
Bombard (Bombard) was ordered from Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée on 29 May 1901 and the ship was laid down on 6 December at its shipyard in Graville-Le Havre. She was launched on 26 June 1903 and conducted her sea trials during August–November 1903. The ship was commissioned (French: armée definitif) on 26 November and was assigned to the Northern Squadron.[5]
When the First World War began in August 1914, Bombarde was assigned to the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla (French: 3<sup>e</sup> escadrille de torpilleurs) of the 2nd Light Squadron (French: 2<sup>e</sup> escadre légère)[6] based at Cherbourg.[5]