She saw service in World War I. Preble was laid down by the Union Iron Works at San Francisco, California, on 21 April 1899.

Preble was assigned to the United States Pacific Fleet and operated with the 4th and 2nd Torpedo Flotillas off the west coast of North America from Washington to the Panama Canal Zone until 1908, making a cruise to Hawaii and American Samoa from 24 August to November 1908.

She arrived at Norfolk, Virginia, on 13 July 1917 and began coastwise convoy duty in the Atlantic Ocean along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States.

In the predawn hours of 23 July, the U.S. Navy submarine USS N-3 was on the surface in the Atlantic Ocean, charging her batteries in calm, hazy weather with bright moonlight, when she suddenly sighted one of the ships of the convoy at 02:55 at a range of only 1,800 yards (1,650 m).

As N-3 continued to flash the recognition signal by blinker light, N-3′s commanding officer hailed Minnekahda, calling out "Don't fire, this is an American submarine!"

After pumping 2,800 US gallons (2,331 imp gal; 10,599 L) of diesel fuel overboard to lighten herself forward, N-3 proceeded to port on the surface under her own power.

[3] Preble continued her convoy escort operations off the Mid-Atlantic coast of the United States through 11 November 1918, when the armistice with Germany brought World War I to a close.

Her name was struck from the Navy List on 15 September 1919, and she was sold on 3 January 1920 to Henry A. Hitner's Sons Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for scrapping.