USS Bancroft was a United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 steel gunboat

Gunboat

A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...

, launched on 30 April 1892 and commissioned on 3 March 1893.

Bancroft was designated as a practice ship for the United States Naval Academy

United States Naval Academy

The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...

 midshipmen and stationed at Annapolis, Maryland

Annapolis, Maryland

Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...

. Between 1893 and 1896, she cruised along the east coast visiting various shipyards with groups of midshipmen embarked. In September 1896, she sailed to join the European Squadron and for the next 18 months protected American interests in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Called home when Congress declared war upon Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

, Bancroft reached Boston, Massachusetts, on 4 April 1898 and served with the North Atlantic Squadron

North Atlantic Squadron

The North Atlantic Squadron was a section of the United States Navy operating in the North Atlantic. It was renamed as the North Atlantic Fleet in 1902. In 1905 the European and South Atlantic Squadrons were abolished and absorbed into the North Atlantic Fleet. On Jan...

 from 9 May-9 August. She convoyed troop transports to Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

 and was on blockade duty at Havana

Havana

Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...

 and the Isle of Pines

Isle of Pines

The name Isle of Pines can refer to more than one thing:* The former name for the Isle of Youth, Cuba* The Isle of Pines, an island off New Caledonia* The Isle of Pines , a book by Henry Neville....

. On 28 July, Bancroft seized a small schooner.

Bancroft returned to Boston on 2 September and was placed out of commission on 30 September 1898. After being recommissioned on 14 August 1900, she cruised in Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

n waters 26 November 1900-12 February 1901 making surveys. Returning to Boston 29 April, 1901, she went out of commission on 25 May 1901. Recommissioned on 6 October 1902, she served until 1905 as a station ship at San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...

, cruising in the West Indies and patrolling the area. Bancroft was transferred to the Revenue Cutter Service on 30 June 1906.