The ships had fairly uneventful careers, owing in part to the restricted naval budgets of the 1870s and 1880s, which precluded an active fleet policy. The three ships made one major overseas cruise to Spain in 1888 to take part in the Barcelona Universal Exposition. They were withdrawn from service in the early 1900s and converted for secondary roles; "Kaiser Max" and "Don Juan d'Austria" became barracks ships and "Prinz Eugen" became a repair ship and was renamed "Vulkan". After World War I, "Don Juan d'Austria" sank under unclear circumstances while the other two ships were seized by Italy. "Kaiser Max" was transferred to the Royal Yugoslav Navy in the postwar peace negotiations and renamed "Tivat". Italy refused to turn "Vulkan" over to Yugoslavia, however. The ultimate fate of both vessels is unclear.