SMS Arcona was a member of the Carola class of steam corvettes built for the German Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy) in the 1880s.

Intended for service in the German colonial empire, the ship was designed with a combination of steam and sail power for extended range, and was equipped with a battery of ten 15-centimeter (5.9 in) guns.

The ship was under repair when Otto von Diederichs seized the Jiaozhou Bay Leased Territory in China with the rest of the Division in 1897, and was therefore unable to participate in the operation, though she later assisted in defending the concession.

Arcona and her sister ships were intended to patrol Germany's colonial empire and safeguard German economic interests around the world.

[9] She then proceeded to Macuto, where attacks on German nationals had occurred, and the ship's presence was sufficient to secure an apology from the Venezuelan government.

By mid-October, the revolution had ended, allowing Arcona to leave the area and join the cruiser division, which was at that time stationed in east African waters.

While en route, Arcona made stops in several islands in the Caribbean Sea, including Trinidad, Grenada, Barbados, and St. Vincent.

She then crossed the Atlantic Ocean and stopped in Gibraltar, before continuing on to Naples, Italy; there, the ship's captain was relieved, as he had fallen ill while in Venezuela.

At the time, the division also included her sister ship Alexandrine and the corvette Leipzig, and it was commanded by Konteradmiral (KAdm—Rear Admiral) Friedrich von Pawelsz.

Arcona was assigned to German South West Africa; that day, she left Cape Town to take a pair of small field guns to strengthen the local Schutztruppe (Protection force) unit there.

Rebels had seized the Hamburg Süd steamship SS Santos on 3 November, which had been carrying a cargo of rifles, and Arcona's commander went in her steam pinnace to secure the vessel's release.

On 7 March, they rounded Cape Horn and entered the Pacific Ocean, but storm damage forced Arcona to put into Valparaiso, Chile, for repairs.

China's defeat led to riots against foreigners in the country, so Arcona and the rest of the division had to remain in Chinese waters to protect Europeans.

In December, Arcona went to Manila in the Philippines, where unrest from the local Filipinos against the Spanish colonial government threatened other Europeans in the country.

[11] In June 1897, KAdm Otto von Diederichs assumed command of the East Asia Division, and flew his flag in the ironclad Kaiser, which had been rebuilt into an armored cruiser.

[12] In October, Arcona went to Shanghai for maintenance; she was still being repaired when the East Asia Division seized the Jiaozhou Bay Leased Territory in China on 14 November.

While they were away, Diederichs ordered Arcona and Cormoran to send marines ashore to defend the town in the event that a Chinese force arrived, but no attack materialized.

She completed this mission in October, when she steamed to the Philippines to relieve Prinzess Wilhelm, which had been stationed there to protect German nationals in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War earlier that year.

[11][15] On 15 November, Kaiser ran aground in Samsah Bay, and Arcona and Cormoran were sent to render aid; the two cruisers were able to pull the ship free, which proceeded under her own power to Hong Kong for repairs.