 Massachusetts was commissioned on 10 June 1896 with Captain Frederick Rodgers in command . She had her shakedown cruise between August and November 1896 , followed by an overhaul at the New York Navy Yard . In February 1897 she made a short voyage to Charleston , South Carolina . The battleship departed New York again in May for Boston , where a celebration in her honor was held . For the next ten months the warship participated in training maneuvers with the North Atlantic Squadron off the coast of Florida and visited several major ports on the American east coast . On 27 March 1898 , she was ordered to Hampton Roads to join the Flying Squadron under Commodore Winfield Scott Schley for the blockade of Cuba . 
