 By 1895, she was withdrawn from front-line service and used for fishery protection. This duty lasted only a year, after which she was placed out of service. In 1899, she was reclassified as a light cruiser, along with her sister ship Comet, though both vessels remained out of service. Meteor was used as a harbor guard ship starting on 3 May 1904. On 24 June 1911, she was stricken from the naval register and used as a barracks ship in Kiel. She served in this capacity through World War I. After the German defeat, the ship was sold for scrapping in 1919. Meteor thereafter was broken up in Rendsburg.
