SMS Greif was an aviso built by the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine), the only ship of her class. She was built at the Germaniawerft shipyard in Kiel; her keel was laid in 1885, she was launched in July 1886, and she was commissioned in July 1887. Unlike the other avisos built by Germany, Greif was equipped only with a gun armament. Greif served with the fleet from 1887 until 1911, though she was not a particularly successful design and so saw little active service, having spent most of her time in reserve. In 1912, she was reduced to a training ship for engine-room personnel. In 1917, she was hulked for minelayers in Kiel. She was ultimately sold for scrapping in 1921 in Hamburg.