"Fürst Bismarck" completed repairs in Nagasaki on 15 January 1902 and in early February she rendezvoused with "Hertha" and "Bussard" in Singapore. There, Bendemann returned to the ship, though days later on 15 February, he turned command of the squadron over to "VAdm" Richard Geissler. Later that month, the light cruiser joined the squadron; further changes to the composition of the squadron followed shortly thereafter, with "Kaiserin Augusta", "S91", and "S92" returning to Germany in February and March. In April, "Schwalbe", "Geier", and "Luchs" went to Ning Po to protect Europeans from unrest in the city while "Fürst Bismarck" and the rest of the squadron toured East Asian ports, ranging from Japan to the Dutch East Indies. During this period, they also conducted various training exercises and alternated visits to Tsingtao and Japan for periodic maintenance. "Schwalbe" returned to Germany in September, though her place was taken by "Geier". On 25 December, Kaiser Wilhelm II awarded the "Schießpreis" (Shooting Prize) for excellent gunnery in the East Asia Squadron to "Fürst Bismarck".