During June–July 1914 the ships represented the Empire in joint naval reviews with friendly British, French and Dutch ships in the Gulf of Finland. Sweden had not yet declared its neutrality, and, on , "Imperator Pavel I", the predreadnoughts and "Tsesarevich" and the armoured cruiser sailed out to Stockholm to intimidate the Swedes. The diplomats called the fleet back, and "Imperator Pavel I" missed her chance to engage a weak German scouting flotilla operating in the same area. In August–September the battleships actively sailed north of the Gulf of Riga, but failed to intercept the German cruisers "Augsburg" and "Blücher" that were operating in the area.