Following the outbreak of World War I in July 1914, "Kolberg" and the rest of II Scouting Group were tasked with patrolling the German North Sea coast and supporting the torpedo-boat screen that kept watch for hostile sea forces. On 17–18 August, "Kolberg" and the light cruisers and went on a patrol out to the Broad Fourteens but encountered no British vessels. "Kolberg" was stationed in the mouth of the Ems river on the morning of 28 August, when the sound of distant gunfire alerted the crew to the Battle of Helgoland Bight, then underway. She, "Stralsund", and the light cruiser immediately sortied to reinforce the German vessels in the bight, but they arrived too late to see action with the British cruisers. "Kolberg" reached the burning cruiser and took off her surviving crew before the latter vessel sank. "Kolberg" was erroneously said to have been sunk in the battle in initial reports. On 9 September, "Kolberg" escorted the minelaying cruisers and and the auxiliary minelayer while they laid the defensive minefield "Alpha" on the western side of the German Bight. She escorted "Nautilus" again on 16–18 October to lay an offensive minefield off the Firth of Forth, but the presence of British warships in the Dogger Bank forced the Germans to break off the operation.