Nautilus spent her peacetime career conducting training exercises with the main fleet and minesweeping experiments before being placed in reserve in 1911.

Reactivated at the start of World War I, she initially laid both defensive and offensive mine fields in the North and Baltic Seas.

She remained in reserve for over a year and a half, until she was reactivated on 5 June 1914 to replace the minelayer Pelikan, which was at the time going through a major overhaul.

[2] After the outbreak of World War I in July 1914, Nautilus was classified as a coastal defense mine cruiser.

Nautilus's group, which included the cruiser Mainz, departed from Helgoland early on the morning of 25 August.

[4][5] Nautilus, Albatross, and the auxiliary minelayer Kaiser laid a defensive minefield in the western German Bight on 9–10 September.

[7] In April 1916, Nautilus was transferred to the Baltic after the newer, faster minelaying cruiser Brummer entered service.

[8] By 1917, the ship was assigned to the VI Scouting Group, along with the light cruisers Kolberg, Strassburg, and Augsburg, and the old aviso Blitz.

[1] In February that year, she was assigned to the Sonderverband (Special Unit) tasked with supporting the anti-communist faction fighting in Finland's civil war.

On 30 April, Konteradmiral (Rear Admiral) Ludolf von Uslar took command of the Sonderverband, and he chose Nautilus as his flagship.

Following the disbanding of the unit the next month, Nautilus remained in the northern Baltic, patrolling off Åland, until she was decommissioned on 10 December.