She participated in several cruises escorting Kaiser Wilhelm II on state visits to Great Britain and to various cities in the Baltic Sea in the late 1880s and early 1890s.

During 1898–1899, the ship was modernized at the Imperial Dockyard in Kiel; she served for another seven years with the fleet before being withdrawn from active service in 1906.

The Sachsen class was the first group of capital ships built under the tenure of General Albrecht von Stosch, the first Chief of the Imperial Admiralty.

They proved to be controversial in service, as critics pointed out their poor seakeeping, tendency to roll in heavy seas, and low speed compared to earlier armored frigates.

[1] Along with her three sisters, Württemberg was the first large, armored warship built for the German navy that relied entirely on engines for propulsion.

The ship was launched on 9 November 1878 and most work was completed by April 1881; at that time, she was transferred to the Kaiserliche Werft (Imperial Shipyard) in Kiel for final fitting out.

At the time, representatives from Qing China were in Germany to observe the beginning of construction of their new ironclad Dingyuan, and during a visit to Kiel, they came aboard Württemberg to inspect the ship.

These tests were carried out under the supervision of the shipyard director, Kapitän zur See (KzS—Captain at Sea) Max von der Goltz.

[11] Among the problems associated with the Sachsen-class ships was a tendency to roll dangerously due to their flat bottoms, which greatly reduced the accuracy of their guns.

She and her three sisters served as I Division in the 1884 fleet maneuvers, under the command of Konteradmiral (KAdm—Rear Admiral) Alexander von Monts.

[13][14] Following the 1886 maneuvers, Württemberg and her three sisters were removed from active duty to serve as the Reserve Division of the Baltic Sea.

[14] The ship returned to active service with the fleet on 2 May 1890, under the command of KzS Alfred von Tirpitz,[16] when she joined I Division during the annual maneuvers.

The eight ships of I and II Divisions simulated a Russian fleet blockading Kiel, which was defended by torpedo boat flotillas.

Württemberg's steering gear was disabled in the collision and the central battery ironclad Deutschland had to take her under tow back to Kiel for repairs.

[14] Württemberg remained in I Division through 1894, and these years passed uneventfully for the ship beyond the normal routine of peacetime training activities.

At the same time, from 30 November to 16 December, Württemberg also served as the flagship for II Division under KAdm Felix von Bendemann.

[22][23] After being decommissioned in early 1898, Württemberg was taken into drydock at the Kaiserliche Werft in Kiel for an extensive reconstruction that significantly altered her appearance.

The work lasted more than a year and a half, and she was finally recommissioned on 8 October 1899 under the command of KzS Hugo Westphal.

[24] Württemberg again served with I Squadron for the first half of 1901, taking part in all of the unit training exercises and cruises through July, when the Detached Division returned from East Asia.

Conversion work was carried out aboard Württemberg that year, which included removing her main battery guns and converting the empty barbettes into classrooms and additional living spaces for trainees.

Blücher was decommissioned on 25 September and her crew was transferred to Württemberg, which was recommissioned the following day, under the command of KzS Fritz Sommerwerck.

For the fleet maneuvers of August and September 1909, Württemberg was assigned to the Reserve Squadron, after which KzS Felix Funke replaced Nickel.

After three days, the battleship Schwaben pulled Württemberg free; because she had been grounded on a sand bar, she was not damaged in the incident and she was able to continue her normal training activities.

In February 1912, she was used as an emergency ice breaker to assist merchant vessels in the Baltic during an unusually cold winter.

She did not take part in the autumn maneuvers in 1912 or 1913, and in October 1912, KzS Georg von Ammon replaced Funke as the ship's commander.

While on participating in training exercises off Swinemünde on 11 April 1913, a snow storm forced Württemberg to try to seek shelter in Möwe Bay.

The ship was decommissioned for the last time on 10 November 1919 and was stricken from the naval register on 20 October 1920, before being sold to Hattinger Co. Württemberg was ultimately broken up for scrap in Wilhelmshaven.