On 10 October 1890, the navy established the Torpedo Trials Command to further develop the torpedo arm of the fleet; this work had previously been carried out by the Torpedo Workshop in Friedrichsort. "Greif" was attached to the command on 1 November to assist with testing operations in Kiel Bay. This work was interrupted on 2 April 1891 when "Greif" embarked Wilhelm II to greet the screw corvette , then returning from German East Africa, where the Abushiri revolt had recently been suppressed. On 10 June, "Greif" went into the dry dock at the "Kaiserliche Werft" in Kiel for modernization, which included the replacement of her main battery. Work was completed on 21 August, followed by sea trials in Danzig Bay through November. The year 1892 passed uneventfully, with the only event of note being "Greif"s participation in the fleet training maneuvers from 30 August to 5 September.