Decatur was designated lead vessel of the 1st Torpedo Flotilla with which she conducted drills and maneuvers along the Eastern Seaboard and in the Caribbean until December 1903, when the flotilla departed Norfolk for the Asiatic Station, sailing by way of the Suez Canal.

Decatur ran aground on a sand bar in the Philippines on 7 July 1908 while under the command of Ensign Chester W. Nimitz.

The ship was pulled free the next day, and Nimitz was court-martialed, found guilty of neglect of duty, and issued a letter of reprimand.

She resumed operations with the Torpedo Flotilla, cruising in the southern Philippines and between ports of China and Japan until on 1 August 1917, when she departed for the Mediterranean.

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.