She was purchased by the U.S. Navy from James and Charles Harrison of London, England, on 19 April 1898, and commissioned as USS Pompey at Naval Station Norfolk on 26 May 1898.

She then served as a collier in Rear Admiral William T. Sampson's squadron off Cuba, returning to Norfolk on 23 August, and was decommissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 18 January 1899.

[2] In February 1903 Pompey accompanied the gunboats Elcano, Villalobos, and Callao, as they sailed from the Philippines to China to inaugurate the Yangtze River Patrol.

[3] Based on Shanghai from February 1903, their mission was to protect American citizens and property, and promote friendly relations with the Chinese.

[2] Placed back into commission in July 1906, she continued to serve as a collier on the Asiatic Station, apart from a period in 1907-1909 when she was assigned to the Pacific Fleet.