 Nyorai kupfuurira kweiyi ndima - Frankfurt yakarairwa pasi pezita rechibvumirano Ersatz uye yakaiswa pasi pa Kaiserliche Werft chikepe chengarava muKiel muna 1913 uye yakatangwa musi wa20 March 1915. Ngarava dzacho dzakapinzwa muHigh Seas Fleet musi wa20 August 1915. Frankfurt akaona chiito chakakura neHigh Seas Fleet munguva yeHondo Yenyika I. Akashanda zvikurukuru muNorth Sea, uye akapinda muBombardment yeYarmouth neLowestoftuye hondo dzeJutland neHeligoland Yechipiri. PaJutland, yakakuvadzwa zvishoma nechikepe cheBritain uye vashandi vayo vakatambura kurasikirwa kuduku. Ngarava yacho yakanga iripowo panguva yeOperation Albion muGungwa reBaltic muna October 1917. Pakupera kwehondo, akaiswa mujeri pamwe chete neboka guru rengarava dzeGermany muScapa Flow. Apo boka racho rakanyudzwa muna June 1919, Frankfurt rakanga riri rimwe rengarava shomanene dzisina kunyudzwa zvinobudirira. Yakapiwa kuUnited States Navy semubairo wehondo uye pakupedzisira yakashandiswa sebhomba chinangwa mukuedzwa kwakaitwa neUnited States Navy neArmy Air Force muna July 1921. 