On 10 July 1914, "Helgoland" left the Jade Estuary to take part in the annual summer training cruise to Norway. The fleet, along with several German U-boats, assembled at Skagen on 12 July to practice torpedo boat attacks, individual ship maneuvers, and searchlight techniques. The fleet arrived at the Fjord of Songe by 18 July, but "Helgoland" had to wait until after midnight for a harbor pilot to guide her into the confined waters of the fjord. "Helgoland" joined , the light cruiser , and the Kaiser's yacht in Balholm. That same day, "Helgoland" took on 1250 tons of coal from a Norwegian collier. The following morning "Helgoland" was joined by her sister , and the two ships sailed back to Germany, arriving on the morning of 22 July. On the evening of 1 August, the captain announced to the crew that the Kaiser had ordered the navy to prepare for hostilities with the Russian Navy.