 In May 1879 , the armored squadron was reactivated , composed of Preussen , her sister Friedrich der Grosse , and the old armored frigates Kronprinz and Friedrich Carl . The annual summer training cruise was primarily conducted in just the Baltic Sea , apart from a short voyage in June to the coast of Norway . The four ships returned to Kiel in September , where they were demobilized for the winter . The new armored corvette Sachsen replaced Kronprinz in the squadron in 1880 . Wilhelm von Wickede , a former Austrian naval officer , replaced Batsch as the squadron commander . Again , the squadron remained in the Baltic for the summer cruise , with the exception of a short visit to Wilhelmshaven and Cuxhaven in August . 
