 After she was commissioned on 7 October 1898 , the ship became the flagship of Prince Henry in the I Squadron of the German Heimatflotte ( Home Fleet ) . In 1901 , the ship was severely damaged after striking an underwater obstacle in the Baltic , though she was subsequently repaired . The ship took part in extensive fleet maneuvers in 1900 and 1902 . In 1907 , the Heimatflotte was reorganized as the Hochseeflotte ( High Seas Fleet ) . In 1908 , Kaiser Friedrich III was modernized ; her secondary guns were reorganized and her superstructure was cut down to reduce top @-@ heaviness . 
