Though in reserve for the next 17 months, Walke never went out of commission; during her semi-retirement, the ship retained a commanding officer and at least a partial crew.

Those repairs were completed at the end of February 1916; and, in March, the ship moved south to Key West to prepare for gunnery practice.

However, in May, revolutionary disorders broke out in the Dominican Republic; and Walke was dispatched to support the troops and marines landed there to restore order.

From 6 May-19 June, she cruised along the coast of Hispaniola, leaving the area periodically for fuel or provisions at Ponce, Puerto Rico, or at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

After a brief visit to Haiti, the republic occupying the western end of Hispaniola, Walke returned to Key West on 19 June.

By coincidence, Walke entered the New York Navy Yard on 6 April 1917; the day the United States declared war on Germany.

Again after making the first leg of the transatlantic voyage under tow because of her limited range, Walke arrived in New York on 30 November.

Following the end of the war, Walke settled down to a routine of east coast operations and Atlantic Fleet exercises.

Between mid-April and mid-July, the warship cruised almost the entire Atlantic coast of the United States—from New York to Key West — conducting torpedo practice and various other exercises.