Built in 1891 and launched in 1892, it had a 32-year long career, making dozens of instruction trips, and also securing Brazilian possession of Trindade Island.

The ship was named after Brazilian military officer and professor Benjamin Constant, who was one of the main leaders of the 1889 republican coup d'état.

[3] Still unfinished, it was tasked with providing accommodation for the crew of the cruiser Almirante Barroso, which had sunk in the Red Sea when returning to Brazil in 1893.

[3] Once construction was finished and the ship was delivered, it was taken over by frigate captain Antonio Alves Câmara, who departed from La Seyne on 18 July, arriving in Rio de Janeiro on 4 September.

He commanded another cruise going as far as Pará, visiting Trindade Island in order to secure Brazilian presence in the region that was being disputed with the United Kingdom.

[2] It was part of the Instruction Division, whose commanders were rear admirals Afonso de Alencastro Graça and Joaquim Marques Leão.

Bacelar's first action as commander was to travel along the Brazilian coast, stopping at Trindade Island, Fernando de Noronha and Belém in Pará.

The places visited were: Uruguay, Chile, Peru, Hawaii, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Ceylon, Aden, Egypt, Italy, France, Gibraltar, and Recife, returning to Rio de Janeiro on 16 December.

During this period, Benjamin Constant received a group of fourth-year students from the Naval School to prepare for their next instruction cruise.

[2][3][7] From 1914 to 1915, Benjamin Constant was in regular condition, but in 1916 its trips began to consist of only short instruction cruises within Brazilian territory.