Between 1874 and 1881 in the Central Division (Zentralabteilung) of the Admiralty, he commanded the cadet ships and from 1876 to 1878, and then captained the academy corvette of the Arcona class on its global tour from 1881 to 1883, the year the Krakatoa volcano erupted. On 20 May 1883 the German ship was stationed in the Sunda Strait, observing the ongoing eruption.