SMS Ariadne was the fifth member of the ten-ship Gazelle class of light cruisers that were built for the German Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy) in the late 1890s and early 1900s.

Built to be able to serve with the main German fleet and as a colonial cruiser, she was armed with a battery of ten 10.5 cm (4.1 in) guns and a top speed of 21.5 knots (39.8 km/h; 24.7 mph).

Reactivated on 2 August, she served as a flotilla leader for torpedo boats guarding Germany's North Sea coast.

She was launched on 10 August 1900 and the director of the Kaiserliche Werft (Imperial Shipyard) in Wilhelmshaven, Konteradmiral (KAdm—Rear Admiral) Hugo von Schuckmann gave a speech at the ceremony, after which fitting-out work commenced.

On 1 March 1903, Ariadne was assigned to I Scouting Group, the fleet's primary reconnaissance unit, commanded by KAdm Ludwig Borckenhagen.

[3][6] The unit embarked on a training cruise to Spain in early 1903, during which Ariadne stopped in Brest, France on 14 May to pick up mail for the squadron.

The fleet's annual autumn training maneuvers were held in September and October, taking place in both the North and Baltic Seas.

The ship took part in fleet exercises in May 1904, followed by a naval review for British King Edward VII during his visit to Kiel.

The fleet then made a visit to Britain, and Ariadne later escorted Kaiser Wilhelm II's yacht Hohenzollern on a cruise from 3 to 10 September.

In 1905, the ship took part in the year's program of training exercises, which were interrupted in March when the battleship Mecklenburg ran aground in the Great Belt; Ariadne was among the vessels sent to pull her free.

In February 1906, Ariadne escorted the new battleship Preussen, which represented Germany at the coronation ceremonies for the Danish King Frederik VIII in Copenhagen.

After receiving reports of the British attack on the morning of the 28th, Ariadne and several other cruisers got up steam and rushed to support the German patrols.

She met Stettin in heavy fog at around 13:40, but less than twenty minutes thereafter, Beatty's battlecruisers, chasing Cöln, arrived and began firing on Ariadne as well.

Stralsund attempted to take the crippled vessel under tow, but at 16:25, Ariadne capsized, mooting the effort to save the ship.

The rescue effort was hampered by frequent explosions of ammunition stored on Ariadne's deck, which prevented boats from getting too close to the wrecked cruiser.