The engine was designed to produce a total of 2,000 indicated horsepower (1,500 kW) which gave the ships speeds between 9.1–9.5 knots (16.9–17.6 km/h; 10.5–10.9 mph) when they ran their initial sea trials in 1869.

The ship carried 280 long tons (280 t) of coal which gave her a range of 1,400 nautical miles (2,600 km; 1,600 mi) at full speed.

During the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, a 9-inch mortar was fitted to attack the thin deck armor of enemy ships, but accuracy was poor and they were later removed, probably in the early 1880s.

She was launched on 28 August 1868 and then transferred to Kronstadt for fitting out as the shallow waters around Saint Petersburg prevented deep-draft ships from being completed.

This added more delays as the dockyard there lacked the equipment to efficiently fit out the ships, and she officially entered service in 1869 at the cost of 1,177,500 rubles.

While not damaged in the incident, she was very firmly stuck and, an attempt by the armored frigate Sevastopol to pull her off failed two days later when the hawser snapped.

While rigging another hawser aboard Strelets, it moved unexpectedly, badly injuring the ship's executive officer and a bosun, who later died of his injuries.

Admiral Chichagov served as the flagship for Captain 1st Rank Stepan Makarov during the 1885 fleet maneuvers in approaching the Gulf of Riga.

By this time, her role in Russian war plans was to defend the Gulf of Riga against an anticipated German amphibious landing.