The Kaiserin Augusta was the first cruiser of the German navy without sails and the first German warship with three shafts. It had an engine that was four times as powerful as the last cruiser corvette, the Charlotte , and a speed advantage of 33%.

As this ship introduced several new features, it is no surprise that its deign had several problem. During a weapons refit only one year after being commissioned, the ship's structure had to be enhanced  in many structural areas. It was a very unstable ship at heavy seas,  exhibiting much moving and rolling very. Additionally, its maneuverability was not very good.

When being commissioned the ship was only completed with a provisional armamment. It was another four years before the planed armament could be installed. The Kaiserin Augusta was sent to East Asia for five years and was modernized and then put into reserve status when it returned to Germany. During World War I it was reactivated as a training and coast defence ship and was broken down after the war.