"Augusta" was slated to leave for another deployment to Central America on 18 December 1871, but the voyage was cancelled and on 26 January 1872, the ship was decommissioned for another overhaul. During this period, she had her armament replaced with more modern guns. After the work finished in 1873, the naval command planned to send her to the Mediterranean Sea in November that year, but that deployment was also cancelled. She remained out of service until 1 March 1874, when she finally recommissioned for another overseas cruise, again to Central and South America. She left Wilhelmshaven on 19 March, under the command of "KK" Max von der Goltz. After arriving in the cruising area, "Augusta" began a tour of South American ports, including a stop in Montevideo, Uruguay on 5 January 1875. Unrest in Spain during the Third Carlist War prompted the naval command to send "Augusta" there to protect German interests. She arrived there on 29 January, and over the next three months, the situation calmed to the extent that the gunboats and were sufficient for the task. As a result, "Augusta" left and, after visiting Lisbon, Portugal from 5 to 25 May, returned to Central American waters. In July, "Augusta" visited Haiti, though her stay was interrupted by unrest in Uruguay that necessitated her presence. In August and September, she went to Colombia for the same reason. On 25 November, her sister ship arrived to replace her on the Central American station. "Augusta" began the voyage back to Germany and arrived in Wilhelmshaven on 6 January 1876. There, she was decommissioned for another overhaul, which included the replacement of her boilers.