 Sperber spent the majority of her career overseas . She briefly served in German East Africa in late 1889 and early 1890 , before being transferred to the South Seas Station in German New Guinea . She remained there for three years before being transferred to German Southwest Africa from early 1894 to late 1896 . She was decommissioned in Germany in December 1896 and overhauled before recommissioning for another tour abroad in December 1902 . She briefly spent time in the East @-@ American Station off Venezuela in early 1903 and East Africa from July to October of that year , before being assigned to the East Asia Squadron by the end of the year . After spending 1904 in Chinese waters , Sperber was reassigned to Southwest Africa , where she remained until 1911 . She returned to Germany at the end of the year and was decommissioned a second time , but was thereafter used as a target ship until 1918 . She was later sold for scrap in 1920 and broken up in Hamburg . 
