Maizuru Naval District
After the war, "Hiei" alternated her training cruises with "Kongō", making the 1897 cruise to the West Coast of North America and Hawaii from 13 April to 20 September and repeating the same cruise from 14 December 1898 to 28 August 1899. During that cruise, on 21 March 1898, the ship was re-designated as a 3rd-class coast defense ship, although she retained her training duties. Both ships made the 1902 cruise, their last, to Manila and Australia from 19 February to 25 August. "Hiei" played a minor role in the Russo-Japanese War before she was reclassified as a survey ship in 1906. "Hiei" was stricken from the Navy List on 1 April 1911 and ordered to be sold on 21 December. The exact date of her sale is not known, although Maizuru Naval District reported her sale on 25 March 1912.