The ship was used as a tender for the fleet from October 1910 through mid-1914, with few events of note for "Hela" during this period. Following the outbreak of World War I in July 1914, "Hela" was deployed to the patrol line guarding the German Bight. She was present at, but was not engaged in, the Battle of Helgoland Bight in August. The next month, while conducting training off Helgoland, she was torpedoed and sunk by the British submarine . Despite the fact that "Hela" sank in less than half an hour, all of her crew, save two men, were rescued by a German U-boat and patrol boat.