By the time its first three ships were purchased from Hamburg American Line in June 1878, the war was already over, and the ships were instead used first as troopships to repatriate Russian soldiers from Turkey, then as peacetime merchant ships.
Before the war ended in June 1878, when its first three ships were purchased from Hamburg American Line, they were utilized initially as troopships for transporting Russian soldiers back to Russia from Turkey. Subsequently, these vessels transitioned into serving as commercial ships during peacetime.