Ka cika wannan magana: A farkon shekara ta 1881, "Bismarck" ta shiga "Kaiserliche Werft" (Gidan Jirgin Ruwa na Daular) a Wilhelmshaven don a yi gyare-gyare sosai a tsarin tafiyar da jirgin. A lokacin wannan gyare-gyare ne aka shigar da bututun torpedo na baka; ta kuma maye gurbin bindigoginta na asali na 15 cm tare da bindigogi masu saurin saurin zamani na wannan caliber. Ta shiga wani zagaye na gwaje-gwajen teku daga 2 zuwa 13 ga Agusta 1883, ko da yake tun Yuni 1882 an sanya shi a matsayin wani ɓangare na I. Reserve saboda tashin hankali da ke da alaka da
Yaƙin Anglo-Masar. A tsakiyar shekarun 1880, kasashen Turai sun shiga cikin rikici don Afirka, kuma kamfanonin Jamus, ciki har da Jantzen &amp; Thormählen da Woermann-Linie, sun fara matsawa gwamnatin Jamus don samun mallaka. Don wannan dalili, kamfanonin sun yi kokarin tayar da hare-hare daga masu mulki na gida a Afirka ta Yamma a kan 'yan kasuwa na Jamus a yankin don kokarin tilasta gwamnati ta sanya yankin a karkashin ikon Jamus. Sakamakon wadannan abubuwan da suka faru, Bismarck, duk da tsananin ƙyamar da yake yi na ƙasashen waje, ya yanke shawarar aika da rundunar soji zuwa Bay of Biafra don kare bukatun Jamus.