 In April 1878 , Preussen participated in the fleet maneuvers , again under the command of Rear Admiral Batsch . By this time , she was joined by her two sister ships , Friedrich der Grosse and Grosser Kurfürst . While steaming in the English Channel on 31 May , the armored frigate König Wilhelm accidentally rammed Grosser Kurfürst ; the latter quickly sank with the loss of 276 men . After assisting in the rescue attempt , Preussen escorted the damaged König Wilhelm to Portsmouth , where the Royal Navy made available a dry dock for emergency repairs . Albrecht von Stosch , the chief of the Kaiserliche Marine , ordered Rear Admiral Batsch and his staff to return to Germany immediately aboard Preussen and the dispatch vessel Falke . The annual summer maneuvers for 1878 were canceled within a week of the sinking . 
