She was one of the largest ships in the world upon completion, measuring at 78.30 metres long and displacing 2–3,000 tons when launched in 1566.

Built during the Northern Seven Years' War to convoy merchant ships involved in the Baltic maritime trade, Adler von Lübeck never saw combat since Lübeck had already entered into peace negotiations with Sweden at the time of the ship's completion.

After the Treaty of Stettin was signed in 1570, she was converted into a cargo ship for trade with the Iberian Peninsula, and was broken up in 1588 after over two decades of service.

The Lübeck chronicler Peter van der Horst — relying on the building contract of the ship — gave the following dimensions of Adler von Lübeck:[1] The gun arrangements of the ship have been preserved in the artillery manual of the artillery master Hans Frese.

[2] In chronological order Articles & monographs Modern model ships