 She visited Cape Town on 10 November 1895 , and while on her way there , she carried a granite copy of the <unk> that had been placed there by the Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão in the late 15th century . The original stone monument had been transported back to Berlin for preservation in 1893 by Falke . A short period of dockyard maintenance lasted from 17 to 29 February 1896 . On 6 March , she was sent to Swakopmund in response to an uprising by the local population . She send a landing party ashore to help the <unk> ( Protection force ) secure the city . From 23 March to 9 April , Sperber went to <unk> for a period of rest for her crew . On 22 September , she departed Southwest Africa and headed for Germany ; she arrived in Kiel on 18 November and was decommissioned on 7 December . Starting in early 1898 , Sperber was taken into drydock for a major overhaul . The work lasted until August , and she was placed back in reserve once it was completed . 
