 Kaiser served with the fleet from her commissioning until 1896 , though she was frequently placed in reserve throughout her career . The ship was a regular participant in the annual fleet training maneuvers conducted with the exception of the mid @-@ 1880s , when she was temporarily replaced by newer vessels . She participated in several cruises in the Baltic and Mediterranean , often escorting Kaiser Wilhelm II on official state visits . Kaiser was rebuilt in the early 1890s as an armored cruiser , though she was too slow to perform satisfactorily in this role . Nevertheless , she spent several years as the flagship of the East Asia Squadron before returning to Germany in 1899 . She was used in secondary roles after 1904 , until after the end of World War I in 1919 , when she was broken up for scrap . 
