SMS Hertha was a member of the Arcona class of steam frigates built for the Prussian Navy in the 1860s.

The class comprised five ships, and were the first major steam-powered warships ordered for the Prussian Navy.

In the immediate aftermath of the First Schleswig War against Denmark, Prince Adalbert began drawing up plans for the future of the Prussian Navy; he also secured the Jade Treaty that saw the port of Wilhelmshaven transferred to Prussia from the Duchy of Oldenburg, and which provided the Prussian fleet with an outlet on the North Sea.

The ship had a cruising radius of about 1,350 nautical miles (2,500 km; 1,550 mi) at a speed of 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph).

To supplement the steam engine on long voyages abroad, she carried a full-ship rig with a total surface area of 2,200 m2 (24,000 sq ft).