 The gunboat departed New York on 30 June 1898 and, after a five-day stop at Key West, Florida, joined the blockading forces off Havana on 11 July 1898.That same day, she was assigned station off Nipe Bay, located on the northeastern shore of Cuba almost directly opposite Santiago de Cuba on the island's southeastern coast.On 17 July 1898, she and captured the Spanish sloop "Domingo Aurelio" off Nipe Bay.