The first two vessels were identical, but Freya was built to a modified design with a longer hull, which allowed her to carry more powerful engines and additional coal for the boilers.

Their primary armament consisted of six or eight 15 cm (5.9 in) guns, and they were fitted with full ship rigs to supplement their steam engines on long voyages abroad.

All three of the ships served extensively on overseas deployments throughout the 1870s and early 1880s, primarily in South America, the Mediterranean Sea, and East Asia.

On these voyages, the ships and their captains performed a number of duties, including protecting German nationals during periods of unrest or open warfare in various countries, negotiating trade agreements with numerous governments, and combating piracy.

Luise survived as a hulk and torpedo test ship until 1896 when she too was sold for scrap, and Freya simply saw no further use between her decommissioning in 1884 and her disposal in 1896.

The plan called for a total of twenty screw corvettes, which were intended to be used to protect German economic interests abroad.

[1] The Admiralty issued an order on 15 February 1868 to begin construction of a new class of corvettes; at the same time, the contract for the first ship, to be named Ariadne, was awarded to the Königliche Werft (Royal Shipyard) in Danzig.

She was built to a slightly different design, essentially having a lengthened hull, with the increased space being used to house more powerful machinery and additional coal storage for an extended cruising radius.

The ships' propeller did not rotate freely from the shaft at low speed, and so it had a significant braking effect under sail.

In the central Pacific, her captain negotiated a series of trade agreements with local chiefs on various islands in Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.

Ariadne also participated in ceremonial activities, including the beginning of construction of the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal in 1887 and a naval review held during a visit from an Austro-Hungarian squadron in 1890.

She also conducted a hydrographic survey of the Yangtze river, and was damaged in an accidental collision with a British ironclad warship in Japan.

During this deployment, she conducted deep-ocean temperature and salinity experiments and protected German nationals in Shanghai during unrest in the area.

While on the way home, she attempted to negotiate a dispute between Germany and Madagascar, but a severe storm forced her to leave before a settlement could be reached in order to avoid being damaged.

On the first cruise, she went to the eastern Mediterranean Sea and toured various ports in Greece and the Ottoman Empire, and then proceeded to China as part of the East Asia Squadron.

There, she conducted hydrographic surveys and attempted to suppress piracy; on the return to Germany her captain died from typhoid fever.

During the voyage she toured ports in the Americas and helped to protect civilians during a period of civil unrest in Haiti in late 1883.