During the war, the squadron continued its normal training routine, and "Fürst Bismarck" won the "Schießpreis" again that year. She, "Hertha", and "Seeadler" were present in Shanghai for the opening of a German club in the city. In early 1905, riots in China forced most of the squadron to remain in Chinese ports until March. Prittwitz und Gaffron recalled his ships to Tsingtao when the Russian Second Pacific Squadron approached the area; following the Battle of Tsushima, where the Russian squadron was annihilated, the German vessels resumed training activities. Later in the year, both "Seeadler" and "Thetis" were sent to German East Africa to suppress a rebellion against German rule. By August, a floating dry dock had been completed in Tsingtao, allowing the East Asia Squadron to repair its ships itself; "Fürst Bismarck" underwent repairs there in October. On 11 November, "KAdm" Alfred Breusing relieved Prittwitz und Gaffron as commander of the squadron, and in December embarked on a tour of the southern portion of the East Asia Station, though the cruise had to be cut short due to unrest in Shanghai that necessitated "Fürst Bismarck"s presence there. The ship sent a landing party ashore, along with men from the gunboats , "Tiger", and . The men patrolled the city center and protected the German consulate, but did not take any active role in the unrest.