"Wiesbaden" only participated in one major battle: Jutland. Early in the engagement, the ship was badly damaged by gunfire from the battlecruiser . Immobilized between the two battle fleets, "Wiesbaden" became the center of a hard-fought action that saw the destruction of two British armored cruisers. "Wiesbaden" remained afloat until the early hours of 1 June and sank sometime between 01:45 and 02:45. "Frankfurt" was also present at Jutland, where she traded blows with . She also saw action during Operation Albion in October 1917, and the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight in November of that year. "Frankfurt" survived the war and was interned at Scapa Flow; her crew was unsuccessful in their attempt to scuttle her, and she was ultimately surrendered to the United States and expended as a target in 1921.