SMS Gneisenau (1879)
The crew attempted to drop the starboard anchor, but it did not catch in the stony ground. "Gneisenau" was driven into the mole repeatedly, striking it with her stern twice before being turned and pushed bow-first on the starboard side, forcing her aground. A merchant ship attempted to come to the crew's aid, but they were unable to connect a line between the two ships before "Gneisenau" began to list 35 degrees. A boat from shore also attempted to rescue the crew, but it too was forced ashore in the heavy seas. Wave action quickly smashed "Gneisenau"s hull against the mole, and part of her crew attempted to find safety by climbing the rigging. The ship rolled over onto her side, and the surviving crewmen reached shore with a line. Forty-one men were killed in the accident, including Kretschmann and the ship's first officer. "Charlotte" and the British ironclad were sent to aid the wounded. Those killed in the sinking were buried in Málaga's cemetery, and the survivors returned to Germany aboard the HAPAG steamship on 2 January 1901.
SMS Breslau
On 3 April, the Ottoman fleet sortied to attack Russian transports off Odessa. "Midilli" and "Yavûz Sultân Selîm" provided the covering force for the attack, which failed after the cruiser struck a mine and sank off Odessa. The Russian fleet attempted to intercept the Turkish force, but "Midilli" and "Yavûz Sultân Selîm" were able to escape undamaged. The two ships, joined by "Hamidiye", conducted a sweep to attack Russian transports on 6 May, but found no targets. Later that month, detachments of naval infantry from "Midilli" and "Yavûz Sultân Selîm" were landed to assist in the defense against the Allied landings at Gallipoli. On the night of 10/11 June, "Midilli" encountered the Russian destroyers and off Zonguldak. In a brief firefight, the cruiser crippled "Gnevny" with a hit in her starboard engine compartment that broke the main steam line to the engines, but was forced to turn away when "Gnevny" fired five torpedoes at her. "Midilli" was hit seven times herself with only slight damage and "Gnevny" was towed back to Sevastopol the following day by "Derzki".
"Midilli" struck a mine on 18 July as she sailed from Constantinople to escort a merchant ship through the minefields defending the capital. The explosion under No. 4 boiler room killed eight crewmen and she was flooded with over of water. The ship made it to port at İstinye and an inspection revealed that she was not badly damaged. Hampered by a shortage of trained personnel and material, however, the ship's repairs took quite a long time. The ship did not return to service until February 1916, and the opportunity was taken to replace two of her 10.5 cm guns with 15 cm pieces. On 27 February, she was used to quickly transport 71 officers and men of a machine-gun company and a significant stock of supplies and munitions to Trebizond, which was then under heavy pressure from the Russian army. While en route on the night of the 28th, she encountered the Russian destroyers and . "Midilli" evaded the Russians and reached Trebizond. On 2 March, she attempted to attack a pair of destroyers north of Zonguldak, but she was unable to catch them. The ship then returned to the Bosporus. On 11 March, "Midilli" made another run, this time carrying 211 soldiers and twelve barrels of fuel and lubricating oil, which were successfully landed on the 13th. She then stopped in Samsun, where she picked up of flour, one ton of maize, and 30 tons of coal, before returning to the Bosporus.