"Grosser Kurfürst" was sunk on her maiden voyage when accidentally rammed by the ironclad . The two ships, along with , were steaming in the English Channel on 31 May 1878. The three ships encountered a group of fishing boats under sail; in turning to avoid them, "Grosser Kurfürst" inadvertently crossed "König Wilhelm"'s path and was rammed, sinking within about eight minutes. Between 269 and 284 of her crew drowned. Her loss spurred a series of investigations into the circumstances of the collision, which ultimately resulted in the acquittal of both Rear Admiral , the squadron commander, and Count Alexander von Monts, the captain of "Grosser Kurfürst". Political infighting over the affair led to the ousting of Rear Admiral Reinhold von Werner from the navy.