 After commissioning, Schlesien was assigned to the I Battle Squadron. Her first year of service, 1909, saw a pattern of fleet maneuvers in the North and Baltic Seas as well as the Atlantic Ocean. Her first cruise into the Atlantic was conducted from 7 July to 1 August. Another round of exercises followed in the autumn. The I Battle Squadron was transferred from Kiel to Wilhelmshaven in April 1910. The following month, in May 1910, the fleet conducted training maneuvers in the Kattegat, between Norway and Denmark. For the first time, the annual summer cruise went to Norway. Fleet training followed, and a training cruise into the Baltic took place at the end of the year.
