on 23 September. Pacific station, 1887–90 Recommissioned at the Mare Island Navy Yard on 15 January 1887, for service on the Pacific Squadron, the warship departed San Francisco on 23 February and headed down the coast of Mexico toward Central and South America. She arrived off the coast of Panama – then still a province of Colombia – on 7 May. For the next 15 months, Alert plied the waters along the west coast of Central and South America between Panama and Peru. On 11 August 1888, she set sail from Callao, Peru, bound for Hawaii – then still an independent kingdom but heavily influenced by American residents. Alert arrived in Honolulu on 15 September and remained in the islands until the spring of 1889. Sermons given on board by Rear Admiral Albert Ross in 1887 and 1888 are extant. Samoan mercy mission The ship's departure from Hawaii came in response to a maritime disaster at Samoa. Diplomatic relations strained by efforts to achieve political dominance in Samoa had brought together in Apia, Samoa, seven warships belonging to three nations. The naval strength gathered there consisted of the American ships , , and ; the Germans SMS Adler, SMS Eber, and SMS 0–90; and the lone British man-of-war . On 15 March 1889, a hurricane struck Apia trapping the three American and three German warships in the harbor. Only HMS Calliope succeeded in escaping to sea early on the 16th. By the morning of the 16th, the storm increased in ferocity and battered the six remaining vessels unmercifully. All three German ships sank, as did Trenton and Vandalia. Nipsic, though severely damaged, managed to beach and survive the storm. Alert left Honolulu on 18 April and set a course for Samoa to provide assistance and to escort Nipsic to a repair facility. She reached Apia on 3 May and remained there six days. On 9 May, she stood out of Apia with Nipsic bound for Auckland, New Zealand, but heavy seas forced the two warships back to Apia. From there, they moved to Pago Pago, whence they departed on the 31st. Alert left Nipsic at Fanning Island on 14 June and continued on alone to Honolulu. She returned a month later, and the two warships put to sea for the last leg of the voyage to Honolulu where they arrived on 2 August. The steamer remained in the Hawaiian Islands