In early 1901 the ships underwent periodic maintenance. The repairs were completed by mid-March, at which time the members of the squadron reunited in Kiel. They then began a training cruise into the Baltic Sea, stopping in Danzig on 1 April. There, Koester informed Prince Heinrich about upcoming joint Army-Navy maneuvers. While returning to Kiel on the night of 1–2 April, "Kaiser Friedrich III" struck an uncharted rock off Kap Arkona just north of the Adlergrund at around 01:27. The rock tore a gaping hole in the starboard side of the hull and damaged four of the ship's watertight compartments, which filled with water and caused the ship to list to port. Eventually, some of water entered the ship. The shock from the collision damaged the ship's boilers and started a fire in the coal bunkers, which spread to the starboard aft boiler room, forcing the crew to shut down the ship's engines. All of the ship's ammunition magazines, engine rooms, and storage compartments had to be flooded to prevent the fire from spreading. Three men were seriously injured while fighting the fire, one of which died of his injuries.