Completed in 1894, "Centurion" was assigned to the China Station as its flagship. Together with her sister ship, , she supported Allied operations during the Boxer Rebellion of 1899–1901 and contributed landing parties to participate in the Battles of the Taku Forts and of Tientsin. The ship returned home in 1901 to be rebuilt with a more powerful secondary armament. "Centurion" rejoined the China Station two years later and remained there until 1905 when she returned to Britain. Already made obsolete by the increasing speeds of the cruisers the ship was designed to defend against, she was placed in reserve until 1909. "Centurion" was decommissioned that year and sold for scrap in 1910.