En route to the Philippines, she sailed via Gibraltar for the Suez Canal, calling at Palermo, Sicily; Port Said, Egypt; Colombo, Ceylon; and Singapore before arriving at Cavite on 3 April 1902.

Becoming flagship of the 3rd Squadron, Pacific Fleet, in 1908, Rainbow cruised among the Philippine and Japanese islands and off the coast of China, and, on at least one occasion, December 1908-January 1909, conducted hydrologic surveys.

Rainbow departed Cavite on 26 October 1911, en route with an expeditionary force of Marines landed at Wusong (31 October-1 November) to help protect American nationals from imminent dangers of the revolutionary turmoil in China.

She became the temporary flagship of the Commander-in-Chief, Asiatic Fleet, 1 November 1911, cruising the China coast to observe conditions which might affect the safety of Americans at Shanghai, Wusong, Nanjing, Amoy, Shantou, Qingdao, and Taku.

She arrived at Nanjing on 20 November and sailed 10 days later to cruise with the American ambassador to the ports of Shanghai, Hong Kong, Shantou, Amoy, and Wusong.

She departed Manila Bay on 16 July 1914, taking refuge from a storm in Lingayen Gulf the 18th, before proceeding to survey the French Frigate Shoals, Hawaii (7-10 August 1914).

She then entered the Mare Island Navy Yard to fit out for service as a tender to the 6th Division, Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet.

Rainbow overhauled in the Philadelphia Navy Yard until 20 October 1918, then tended the O-boats of Submarine Division 10 at Newport, Rhode Island; Bridgeport, Connecticut; and Tompkinsville, New York.

The tender sailed from Tompkinsville in company with Submarine Division 10, bound by way of Hampton Roads, Virginia, to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, arriving on 7 January 1919.

Rainbow served as tender for Submarine Division 10 at Guantanamo until 10 March 1919; then cruised to Charlotte Amalie Harbor, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, where the O-boats carried out daily practice on the target range until 16 April.

The submarine division shifted base to New York on 19 November and sailed the 30th bound by way of Key West, Guantanamo Bay, the Panama Canal and ports of Mexico, to San Diego, arriving on 9 February 1921.

She then sailed with the Submarine Divisions of the Asiatic Fleet and tender Finch to serve along the China Coast at Shanghai, Yantai, Qinhuangdao, Wusong, and Amoy.