 In 1898 , Kaiserin und Königin Maria Theresia was deployed to the Caribbean to safeguard Austro @-@ Hungarian interests during the Spanish – American War ; she inadvertently arrived off Santiago de Cuba on the morning the Spanish squadron attempted to escape from the American blockade , and was nearly attacked herself . In 1900 , she was sent to China to assist in the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion , and remained in East Asian waters until 1902 . She was heavily modernized between 1906 and 1910 , and served in the 1st Cruiser Division after returning to the fleet . She was used first as a harbor guard ship and then as a barracks ship during World War I. After the end of the war , she was surrendered to Britain as a war prize and broken up for scrap in 1920 . 
