 The ship was commissioned at the League Island ( Philadelphia ) Navy Yard on 23 April 1889 under the command of Commander French E. Chadwick . After Yorktown conducted her final sea trials , she was assigned to the " Squadron of Evolution " — sometimes also referred to as the " White Squadron " — in late 1889 . Yorktown operated with that unit as it developed tactical maneuvers for use by the new steel @-@ hulled naval vessels then coming into service in the United States Navy . After this duty , Yorktown departed the east coast of the United States on 7 December 1889 , bound for European waters ; stopped briefly at Fayal in the Azores ; and arrived at Lisbon , Portugal , two days before Christmas . The ship subsequently cruised the Mediterranean into the early spring of the following year , calling at ports in Spain , Morocco , France , Italy , Greece , and Malta . Following her return to the United States on 17 June 1890 , the warship entered drydock at the New York Navy Yard on 1 July for repairs that lasted until 8 August . Upon the completion of these alterations , Yorktown took part in the ceremonies marking the embarkation of the remains of the noted inventor , John Ericsson — of Monitor fame — for transportation back to his native Sweden for burial . 
