They were primarily tasked with supporting Ottoman forces ashore, though Muin-i Zafer also helped to defend the port of Sulina.

After the war ended, both vessels were rebuilt as part of a large reconstruction program aimed at modernizing the ancient Ottoman fleet.

They returned to service with a new battery of four 150 mm (5.9 in) Krupp quick-firing guns as guard ships, and in this capacity Avnillah was sunk in the Battle of Beirut during the Italo-Turkish War in January 1912.

The Navy ordered several ironclad warships from shipyards in Britain and France, though the program was limited by the Ottoman Empire's restricted finances.

The hulls were constructed with iron, incorporated a partial double bottom, and included a ram bow.

[2][3] The ships of the Avnillah class were powered by a single horizontal compound steam engine which drove one screw propeller.

At some point, they both also received new Scotch marine boilers, and their brigantine rig was removed, with heavy military masts installed in its place.

[2][3] Both ships of the class were stationed in Crete after they entered service, to assist in stabilizing the island in the aftermath of the Cretan Revolt of 1866–1869.

They were primarily occupied with bombarding Russian coastal positions in support of the Ottoman army in the Caucasus.

For the rest of the war, Muin-i Zafer was stationed in Sulina at the mouth of the Danube, while Avnillah assisted in the defense of Batumi in the Caucasus.

[3] At the start of the Greco-Turkish War in February 1897, the Ottomans inspected the fleet and found that almost all of the vessels, including both Avnillah-class ships, to be completely unfit for combat against the Greek Navy.