Construction of the battleship began at the Imperial Shipyard in Danzig on 15 April 1893. It was commissioned on 22 September 1896. On 20 March 1900, the SMS Odin tested the brand new wireless telegraphy system. From October of the same year, it was assigned to the Baltic Sea reserve division. After an interruption, it returned to service on 12 August 1914. On 31 August 1915, it joined the Elbe port protection flotilla. From January 1916, it served as barracks for the personnel of several submarine flotillas, then, from March to October 1919, as barracks for the personnel of the 4th North Sea minesweeper flotilla.
It was withdrawn from the navy on 6 December 1919 and sold to the Arnold Bernstein company. It was finally dismantled in 1935.