"Hansa" then embarked on a cruise through the region but this was interrupted by the outbreak of the Boxer Uprising in China. The ship arrived off the Taku Forts on 7 June, where she joined an international fleet led by the British Vice Admiral Edward Seymour. The fleet attacked the fortifications on 16–17 June, resulting in the Battle of the Taku Forts, where "Hansa", "Hertha", the unprotected cruiser , and the protected cruiser landed detachments of (marines) to seize the forts. Pohl, "Hansa"s captain, went ashore and led the attack on the fortresses. Seymour then organized an expedition to relieve the besieged embassies in Peking. "Hansa" contributed a landing party of 123 men led by the ship's executive officer, (Captain Lieutenant) Paul Schlieper, to the Seymour Expedition. A total of around 450 German troops were contributed to the multi-national force, which totaled around 2,200 officers and men. Pohl was then placed in command of a group of cruisers from the international fleet. "Hansa" led the unit to conduct a series of attacks on coastal fortifications at Beidaihe, Qinhuangdao, and Shanhaiguan. The ship thereafter saw no further action during the conflict. In the course of operations, "Hansa"s crew had suffered thirteen dead and twenty-four wounded, the heaviest casualties of any German warship involved in the conflict.