her ventilation improved for service in the tropics. The ship got underway on 23 April and arrived at Duala, Kamerun, on 6 July. At around the same time, the only major warship on the station, the screw corvette , left for German East Africa, leaving Cyclop in company with just Habicht. Cyclop then cruised along the coast to conduct cartographic surveys of the colony. The crew suffered in the tropical climate, and malaria was a particularly significant problem. Many men were hospitalized at Suellaba and later at Joss. The experience led the admiralty to decide to replace crews on the station after one year instead of the normal two-year rotation. In February 1886, Cyclop went to Bimbia to suppress a revolt against German rule. The ship returned to Duala to be present for the ceremonial beginning construction of the colonial government building with the first imperial governor, Julius von Soden. The ship next visited Saint Helena from 10 to 16 September. In early October, the ship was intentionally grounded in the mouth of the Wouri River so the crew could perform maintenance on the hull. Cyclop later went to Luanda in Portuguese Angola for additional repairs that lasted into January 1887. From early April to the end of May, Cyclop was involved in the adjustment of the border between Kamerun and British Nigeria. The town of Bonny was at that time claimed by Germany as part of Kamerun, but it was surrounded on three sides by Nigeria, and Germany exchanged it in return for adjustments elsewhere. Men from Cyclop were given the honor of carrying out the formal transfer. On 10 June 1888, Cyclop sent a detachment of armed sailors to escort a scientific expedition into the interior of Kamerun. Heavy attacks by local rebels soon forced the expedition to turn back. By that time, the ship's propulsion system was badly worn out, and she was capable of steaming at just ; given her age, it was decided that an overhaul of her machinery would be cost prohibitive. The navy ordered she be converted into a hulk for use as a floating hospital, ammunition storage, and a work station on 6 September, and on 25 September, she was again struck from the naval register. She nevertheless remained in service to assist in the suppression of a rebellion at Batanga. On 1 November, she was disarmed and placed out of service.