"Yankee" arrived in Key West on 27 June and began taking on coal. She completed her refueling operation and departed Key West on 3 July, bound for New York, where she arrived two days later. She remained at New York until the 12 July, taking on ammunition for transportation to the Eastern Squadron on the Cuban blockade. On 13 July, she reached Norfolk, where she spent another four days taking on additional ammunition for the ships of the blockading squadron. "Yankee" left Hampton Roads on 17 July and arrived in Guantanamo Bay four days later. There, she began the tedious but dangerous job of transferring her cargo of ammunition to the various warships in the anchorage. The ship remained at Guantanamo Bay until 11 August, when she resumed blockade duty, patrolling initially in search of the armed merchant ship "Montserrat". Three days later, while she cruised the northern coast of Cuba, "Yankee" received word of the cessation of hostilities in response to Spain's suit for peace. She reentered Guantanamo Bay on the afternoon of 15 August and remained there until the 24 August when she headed home.