She participated in the annual fleet maneuvers in 1888, along with the ironclads , , , , and the cruisers "Leopard" and . That year, "Panther" and "Leopard" joined a squadron that included the ironclads "Tegetthoff", "Custoza", "Kaiser Max", "Don Juan d'Austria", and to represent Austria-Hungary in the opening ceremonies for the Barcelona Universal Exposition from 25 April to 2 May. This was the largest squadron of the Austro-Hungarian Navy that had operated outside the Adriatic. On 21 June, she ran aground and the ship's captain, Rudolf Montecuccoli, later the chief of the "Marinesektion", was reprimanded and forced to pay for the repair costs.