Kiautschou Bay concession
All six ships served abroad for the majority of their careers, primarily in Africa and the south Pacific, where they assisted in the suppression of uprisings such as the Boxer Rebellion in China and the Sokehs Rebellion in the Caroline Islands. "Cormoran" participated in the seizure of the Kiautschou Bay concession in China in 1897, and "Falke" was involved in the Venezuela Crisis of 1902–03. "Bussard" and "Falke" were broken up for scrap in 1912, but the remaining four ships were still in service following the outbreak of World War I in August 1914.