Despite having been built to counter German naval expansion, "République" and "Patrie" spent their careers in the Mediterranean Sea. In May 1907, France concluded an informal agreement with Britain and Spain after Germany had provoked the First Moroccan Crisis. It included plans to concentrate the British fleet against Germany, while the French fleet, with Spanish support, would face those of Italy and Austria-Hungary. The ships were assigned to the 1st Division of the Mediterranean Squadron after entering service, "Patrie" serving as the flagship. Toulon served as the squadron's home port, though they frequently also lay in Golfe-Juan and Villefranche-sur-Mer. Throughout the 1900s and early 1910s, the ships were occupied with routine peacetime training exercises in the western Mediterranean and Atlantic. They also held naval reviews for the President of France, other government officials, and foreign dignitaries during this period. The ships also made frequent visits to foreign ports in the Mediterranean, including visits to Spain, Monaco, and Italy, among others. By early 1911, the s had begun to enter service, displacing "République" and "Patrie" to what was now the 2nd Squadron of the Mediterranean Fleet, "Patrie" still serving as the unit's flagship.