HDMS Olfert Fischer was the second member of the Herluf Trolle class of coastal defense ships built for the Royal Danish Navy.

Because she was intended to operate as part of a solely defensive naval strategy, Olfert Fischer had a fairly uneventful career.

During World War I, Denmark remained neutral and Olfert Fischer was assigned to the defense forces that guarded Danish territorial waters.

In the early 1890s, the Germans had completed eight coastal defense ships of the Siegfried and Odin classes, prompting the Danish government to consider strengthening their fleet in 1894 in response.

Funds for the first ship, Herluf Trolle, were authorized in 1896, but the second vessel, Olfert Fischer was delayed until 1900 by the weak Danish finances.

Olfert Fischer was ready for regular service by 20 July, when she joined the summer training squadron commanded by Rear Admiral Prince Valdemar.

At the end of November, Olfert Fischer and the cruiser Gejser were sent to escort the royal yacht Dannebrog, which was carrying Prince Carl of Denmark to Trondheim, Norway.

[5][8] In early 1912, Olfert Fischer was reactivated for the annual training cycle, which began with an independent cruise, followed by small-scale maneuvers on 15 May.

There, she was laid up briefly before being recommissioned in September for the 1912–1913 winter training squadron, which also included the coastal defense ship Skjold.

[5] Routine peacetime training activities continued through mid-1914, by which time tensions had risen significantly in the lead-up to World War I.

The Danish fleet, which at that time consisted of Olfert Fischer and her two sisters, fifteen torpedo boats, seven submarines, and six mine-warfare vessels, employed a strategy of laying minefields in its territorial waters to prevent belligerent ships from entering.

The surface warships, including Olfert Fischer, patrolled the narrow and shallow waterways, where they would be difficult to attack in the event that Denmark was brought into the conflict.

In November 1918, following the end of the war, Olfert Fischer was sent to Copenhagen to guard several Russian steam ships that had been impounded in the port.

[5][9] In the aftermath of World War I, the Danish naval budget was significantly reduced, which kept much of the fleet laid up due to a lack of funds.

During this period, Germans and escaped Russian prisoners of war entered Denmark and began committing a number of crimes, including illegal logging.

Olfert Fischer supported a group of torpedo boats, submarines, and other smaller vessels used to patrol for these roving gangs.

A general strike broke out in Denmark in response to the Easter Crisis in April, leading to a breakdown of shipping between the various Danish islands.

The government pressed its ships into service to reduce the disruption, and Olfert Fischer made a voyage to Rønne on the island of Bornholm.

Olfert Fischer thereafter operated with the training division, and in mid-July, she formed part of the escort for King Christian X during his visit to Southern Jutland after the reunification.