While on the way home, she attempted to negotiate a dispute between Germany and Madagascar, but a severe storm forced her to leave before a settlement could be reached.

The three Ariadne-class corvettes were ordered as part of the fleet plan of 1867, an expansion program aimed at strengthening the Prussian Navy in the wake of the Austro-Prussian War.

[2][4] The keel for Luise, named for Princess Louise of Prussia, was laid down in 1871 at the Kaiserliche Werft (Imperial Shipyard) in Danzig.

In the capital of Jolo, she attempted to secure payment of a debt owed to a German merchant, but she was unable to do so, as the residents of the town had burned it to the ground and fled to the interior of the island during a revolt against the colonial Spanish government.

[5] Luise met with the East Asia Squadron in Hong Kong on 1 July and she relieved her sister ship Ariadne, which then began the voyage back to Germany.

On 13 July, Luise sailed to Chefoo in company with the squadron flagship, the screw frigate Vineta, since the German ambassador feared there would be Chinese riots as a result of British activities in the area.

By the end of September, the threat of unrest had passed, and so on 1 October, Luise was able to begin a tour of several Chinese ports.

At the end of January 1877, Luise went to Shanghai to ensure that the Chinese authorities had dropped the tax on German imports in the port.

After repairs were completed, Luise received the order to return to Germany; she left Nagasaki on 7 May and arrived back in Wilhelmshaven on 1 September.

While on the way from Aden to Bombay on 26 January 1879, she collected deep-ocean temperature and salinity samples in conjunction with scientific expeditions conducted by the German frigate Gazelle and the British corvette HMS Challenger.

[6] Beginning in June 1879, Luise toured Japanese ports, sometimes in company with the corvette Prinz Adalbert and in August she conducted additional deep-see tests in the Korea Strait.

In March and April 1880, Luise had to go to Shanghai to protect German nationals against unrest in the city; she was joined in this task by the gunboats Cyclop and Wolf.

After making preparations for the voyage, she left Hong Kong on 3 July and sailed to Madagascar to complete a diplomatic mission on the way back to Germany.

[7] Anti-European sentiment was strong among the island's population in the context of French colonial ambitions, and they refused to recognize the German ambassador.

[7] Luise was converted into a training ship for Schiffsjungen (apprentice seamen) in early 1881, and she entered service in this role on 15 April.

[7] On arrival in Wilhelmshaven, Luise received orders to carry replacement crews to the gunboats that were stationed in German West Africa, Cyclop and Habicht.

She reached Douala on 17 December, transferred the crews, and left ten days later, arriving back in Kiel on 18 February 1888.