Koehler graduated from the Naval Academy in June 1909 and as a passed midshipman was attached to the armored cruiser on October 29 of that year. During his time aboard, "New York" made two cruises to the Mediterranean Sea and steamed to the Philippines. "New York" was renamed "Saratoga" in February 1911. In August, he was attached to the gunboat which was assigned to the Yangtze River Patrol in China "on the broad principle of extending American protection to wherever this country's nationals resided for Gold, Glory or Gospel," observed Koehler. Fifty years later, "Villalobos" was the inspiration for the fictional in Richard McKenna's novel and later movie, "The Sand Pebbles". But in 1911 when Koehler shipped aboard, it was only months before the "Last Emperor", Pu-Yi abdicated the throne in January 1912. Before joining "Villalobos", Koehler visited the battlefields of Port Arthur, where Russia had battled Japan six years earlier in the Russo-Japanese War. In "Villalobos's" logbook for October 11, 1911, Koehler wrote, "At 0800 Mids. H.W. Koehler, U.S. Navy, boarded the Chinese gunboat to obtain further information regarding the situation at Wuchang... Wuchang... was entirely in the hands of rebels and there was no possibility of communication with the American residents." Two days later, the log continues, "Midshipman Koehler attended a conference of the consular body at which the Japanese rear admiral Reijiro Kawashima presided, the meeting having been called to consider communications of the rebel commander in chief, in which he stated the aims of the rebel party, and offered to send troops to protect the foreign concessions. The offer was not accepted... at 1815 sent ashore two Colt automatic guns to American consulate in order to facilitate landing of armed party... Incendiary fires in Wuchang throughout the night."