Chōkai was an iron-hulled, two-masted gunboat with a horizontal double expansion reciprocating steam engine with two cylindrical boilers driving two screws.

On the night of 5 February, Chōkai participated in a night operation with Atago, in which the gunboats made a feint attack on the north entrance to the harbor as a diversion while torpedo boats attacked from the east entrance, sinking the Chinese battleship Dingyuan and damaging the cruiser Laiyuan.

On a shore bombardment mission on 26 May 1904 to support the Japanese Second Army at the Battle of Nanshan (together with the cruiser Tsukushi), Chōkai came under fire, and her captain, Lieutenant Commander Hayashi Michio was killed.

Chōkai was removed from active combat status on 1 April 1908, and was used as a training vessel at the Sasebo Naval District.

She was removed from the navy list and transferred to the Home Ministry on 1 December 1911 for use as a police boat in Kobe Harbor.