By February 1901, the fighting had decreased to the point that the ships of the East Asia Squadron could resume the normal routine of individual and squadron training exercises. In May, "Seeadler" was detached to Yap in the Caroline Islands, and in June, "Hansa" carried "Konteradmiral" ("KAdm"—Rear Admiral) Hermann Kirchhoff to Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. Also in June, the Detached Division, "Irene", and "Gefion" returned to Germany. The following month, the East Asia Squadron returned to its normal peacetime footing. "Fürst Bismarck" visited Japanese ports with "Geier", "S91", and "S92" in mid-1901, and in September, she and "S91" visited Port Arthur in Russian Manchuria before returning to Japanese waters in October. Another shipyard period in Nagasaki followed, which included repairs to her frequently-leaky stern. By this time, the Chinese government had signed the Boxer Protocol on 7 September, formally ending the conflict. The experience of projecting significant military power over such a great distance proved to be invaluable to the German army and navy and it made particularly clear the importance of logistics. Accordingly, a maritime transport department was created in the "Reichsmarineamt" (Imperial Navy Office) in 1902 under Carl Derzewski.