[2] Appointed a midshipman by competitive examination from New York's 31st congressional district,[3] he entered the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland on 24 July 1863.

He was at the Naval Torpedo Station at Newport, Rhode Island, in 1873, and later that year was aboard the monitor USS Terror in the North Atlantic Squadron.

[10][11] In 1875, Drake reported for duty aboard USS Independence, the receiving ship at the Mare Island Navy Yard in Vallejo, California.

He returned to the United States aboard Pensacola in 1888 and that year took up duties as inspector of construction for USS Cushing, the U.S. Navy's first torpedo boat.

From 1889 to 1891 he was inspector of construction for the Howell Automobile Torpedo, and in 1892 he had special duty at the Bureau of Ordnance for upcoming the World's Columbian Exhibition.

In 1893 he was assistant inspector of construction for the new protected cruiser USS Montgomery, then being built at Columbian Iron Works in Baltimore, Maryland.

During his tour, Albatross completed the exploration of the seabed in the Bering Sea, studied the extent and flow of currents and their effect on the ice pack in and north of the Bering Strait, surveyed the Pribilof Islands, and studied the habitat of the fur seal and extent of the sealing belt in the area.

He remained aboard Oregon from her commissioning in July 1896 until 22 August 1897, and was credited with the training and development of the fighting efficiency of her crew that in 1898 allowed her to make her famous voyage from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea and perform with great success in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish–American War.

[19][20] Drake detached from Mare Island Navy Yard on 12 December 1900 and proceeded to duty in the Asiatic Squadron, where he took command of the refrigerated stores ship USS Culgoa on 17 March 1901.