The United States Navy purchased Yorktown on April 21, 1898, to be commissioned as the second USS Resolute, an auxiliary cruiser and transport that saw naval service during the Spanish–American War 1898–1899.

Yorktown, an iron-hulled passenger ship, was launched on February 10, 1894, by Delaware River Shipbuilding and Engine Works at Chester, Pennsylvania for the Old Dominion Steamship Company.

[3] The U.S. Navy purchased Yorktown from the Old Dominion Steamship Company on April 21, 1898, for Spanish–American War service commissioning the ship as USS Resolute on May 11, 1898.

After calling at Key West, Florida, on June 8, Resolute returned to the southeast Cuban coast to assist the U.S. fleet in scouting, relying on her high speed for protection.

[1] The ship was aground on a coral reef at Santiago, Cuba when on the way to embark the troops of the Tenth United States Infantry destined for New York.

[5] Then, on April 10, 1901, Rawlins was to have sailed from New York to Havana, Cuba with miscellaneous cargo, largely horse feed, but caught fire in the engine room with the result of a two alarm fire bringing six engines, two trucks and three fireboats and so much water pumped aboard by 9:30 a.m. that she rolled over, flooded and sank with deck awash at the Army's pier at Pacific Street, Brooklyn.

[9] At about 8:14 p.m. December 15, 1916, outbound Powatan collided with the 375 feet 6 inches (114.5 m) inbound British ship Telena southeast of Thimble Shoal Light in the deep channel of the lower Chesapeake Bay.

[13] The rebuilt Powhatan, renamed Cuba, underwent trials and began operation in late 1920 as the world's first passenger ship with turbo-electric drive and all lighting and auxiliary machinery also being electric.

[15][17] Cuba was a relatively small ship of 3,580 tons displacement at 17 feet (5.2 m) draft, 320 feet 6 inches (97.7 m) length overall and was not intended by the owners, Miami Steamship Company, to carry any cargo other than automobiles on deck, express freight and some refrigerated fruit with emphasis put of passenger accommodations and spaces—so that Cuba could "well be called a luxurious yacht rather than a passenger steamship".

[15] Passenger staterooms, with double berths and private baths, were in the forward superstructure with the dining room furnished with tables seating four.

[15] To aid in handling passenger's automobiles the vessel's side auto port was designed to allow the largest limousines then built to be driven, rather than hoisted, aboard.