SMS Leipzig was a flush-deck corvette, the lead ship of her class, built by the German Imperial Navy; she had one sister ship, SMS Prinz Adalbert. She was named after the Battle of Leipzig in 1813 rather than after the city of Leipzig.She was laid down in 1874, launched in 1875, and completed in 1877. She was converted into a 'cruiser frigate' (German: kreuzerfregatte) in 1884. She served abroad until 1893 and frequently became involved in German colonialism and gunboat diplomacy.