"Feth-i Bülend" saw action during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, where she battled the Russian steamer "Vesta" in an inconclusive engagement. The Ottoman fleet was laid up for most of the next twenty years, and "Feth-i Bülend" saw no activity during this period. Modernized in 1890, she was nevertheless still not in condition for active service at the outbreak of the Greco-Turkish War in 1897. She was therefore heavily rebuilt in Germany between 1903 and 1907. At the start of the First Balkan War in 1912, the ship was stationed in Salonica; the ship was disarmed so the guns could be used to strengthen the port's fortifications. On the night of 31 October, a Greek torpedo boat slipped into the harbor and sank "Feth-i Bülend", killing seven of her crew.