USS Dolphin ( PG - 24 ) USS " Dolphin " ( PG - 24 ) — a gunboat / dispatch vessel — was the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named for the dolphin . " Dolphin " s keel was laid down by John Roach & Sons of Chester , Pennsylvania . She was launched on 12 April 1884 , with Captain George Dewey in command , and commissioned on 8 December 1885 with Captain R . W . Meade in command . " Dolphin " was the first Navy ship to fly the Flag of the President of the United States during President Chester A . Arthur ' s administration . She was , in fact , the second Navy ship to serve as a Presidential Yacht . Service history . Before the Spanish - American War . The first of the vessels of the " New Navy " to be completed , " Dolphin " was assigned to the North Atlantic Station , cruising along the eastern seaboard until February 1886 . She then sailed around South America on her way to the Pacific Squadron for duty . She visited ports in Japan , Korea , China , Ceylon , India , Arabia , Egypt , Italy , Spain , and England , and the islands of Madeira and Bermuda , before arriving at New York City on 27 September 1889 to complete her round - the - world cruise . She returned to duty on the North Atlantic Station , cruising in the West Indies from 9 December 1889 , – 12 June 1890 . On 23 December , she was reassigned to the Squadron of Evolution and sailed from New York City on 7 January 1891 for a Caribbean cruise , returning to Norfolk , Virginia on 7 April . Out of commission from 1 May 1891 , – 14 March 1892 , " Dolphin " then resumed her cruising along the Atlantic coast , often carrying the United States Secretary of the Navy ( SecNav ) . In April 1893 , President Grover Cleveland conducted New York ' s inaugural International Naval Review from the deck of the " Dolphin " . On 3 December 1895 , she was assigned to the Special Service Squadron and made a surveying expedition to Guatemala in January – February 1896 . She carried President William McKinley and his party during the naval review following the ceremonies at Grant ' s Tomb in New York City on 27 April 1897 . " Dolphin " was placed out of commission at New York on 23 November 1897 . Spanish - American War . " Dolphin " was recommissioned on 24 March 1898 , just prior to the outbreak of the Spanish - American War , and served on blockade duty off Havana , Cuba in April – May . On 6 June , she came under fire from the Morro Battery at Santiago . On 14 June , she provided fire support for elements of the 1st Marine Battalion at the Battle of Cuzco Well in Guantanamo Bay , Cuba resulting in a total rout of the Spanish forces . Later that month , she sailed for Norfolk , arriving on 2 July . Pre - World War I . From 1899 until the outbreak of World War I in Europe , " Dolphin " served as a special dispatch ship for the SecNav and often carried the President of the United States and other important officials and diplomats . She visited Washington Navy Yard for the Peace Jubilee of 14 May - 30 June 1899 ; New York City for the George Dewey celebration of 26 – 29 September ; and Alexandria , Virginia , for the city ' s sesquicentennial on 10 October . From 7 November 1899 , – 2 February 1900 , she cruised to Venezuela to survey the mouth of the Orinoco River . She departed Washington , D . C . on 11 January 1902 to survey the southeast coast of Santo Domingo , then carried the Chief of the Bureau of Equipment from Havana for a tour of inspection of the coaling stations in the West Indies . She returned to Washington on 6 May . " Dolphin " sailed from Norfolk on 2 December 1902 to carry mail and dispatches to Culebra Island , Puerto Rico , then took the U . S . Minister to Venezuela to La Guaira , arriving on 11 January 1903 . She continued to cruise in the West Indies until returning to Washington , DC on 19 April . From 1903 – 1905 , she carried such dignitaries as the Naval Committee , Secretary of the Navy , Admiral and Mrs . George Dewey , the Philippine Commissioners , the Attorney General , Prince Louis of Battenberg and his party , and President Theodore Roosevelt on various cruises . Early in August 1905 , she carried the Japanese peace plenipotentiaries from Oyster Bay , New York , to Portsmouth , New Hampshire , to negotiate the settlement of the Russo - Japanese War . In 1907 , the first song broadcast over wireless radio was sung by Eugenia Farrar from the deck of " Dolphin " , docked at Brooklyn Naval Yard . She continued on primarily ceremonial duty , participating in the interment of John Paul Jones at the United States Naval Academy , and the departure ceremonies for the Great White Fleet until 22 October 1908 , when she became flagship of the Third Squadron , Atlantic Fleet . When Franklin D . Roosevelt became Assistant Secretary of the Navy in 1913 , he occasionally used " Dolphin " to transport himself and his family . During his time on " Dolphin " FDR forged lifelong friendships with future Fleet Admiral William Leahy and Richard E . Byrd , both of whom served on board . Tampico Affair . In the spring of 1914 , as the tensions that would lead to World War I mounted , the Third Squadron — with " Dolphin " as flagship — sailed into Tampico Bay to protect American lives and property . When some sailors from " Dolphin " were arrested by the Mexican government on 9 April 1914 , the Tampico Affair began . The U . S . demanded their release and an apology . The Mexican government agreed , but when a warship of the " Kaiserliche Marine " arrived with guns and supplies for the Mexicans , war threatened . President Woodrow Wilson ordered the American naval forces to occupy Tampico , Mexico , and the navy bombarded Veracruz , Mexico . The issue was settled through the ABC Conference held in Niagara Falls , Canada , and the United States withdrew its naval force from Mexico , ending the incident . Subsequently , " Dolphin " assisted in the occupation of Santo Domingo from 12 – 22 May 1916 . Her career as flagship continued until 1917 . World War I . Sailing from Washington , D . C . on 2 April 1917 to take possession of the recently purchased Virgin Islands , " Dolphin " received word four days later that war had been declared between the U . S . and Germany . The next day , she arrived at St . Thomas and the squadron commander assumed office as Governor of the Virgin Islands on 9 April . " Dolphin " carried the Governor and his staff to the islands of St . Croix and St . John to hoist the American flag with proper ceremony . On 26 April , she began a search for the steamer " Nordskar " , flying Danish colors , but suspected of aiding enemy operations . She found her at St . Lucia on 5 May and since her registry showed irregularities , " Dolphin " kept her in custody until departing for Key West , Florida on 28 June , when she turned her charge over to British authorities . " Dolphin " continued to patrol in the Caribbean Sea until arriving at Washington on 6 September . Assigned as flagship for the American Patrol Detachment on 17 September 1917 , " Dolphin " was based at Key West , and operated in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea to protect merchant shipping until the end of the war . During World War I , " Dolphin " was one of three U . S . Navy vessels in commission or considered for service , and should not be confused with , a fishing vessel the U . S . Navy considered for service as a patrol vessel in 1917 but apparently never acquired from her owners , or with , a patrol vessel in commission during 1918 . Inter - war period . She remained in the Caribbean until her departure for New York City on 25 June 1920 . After an overhaul at Boston , Massachusetts , she sailed on 16 October as flagship of the Special Service Squadron and joined gunboat to represent the U . S . at the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the Straits of Magellan . " Dolphin " returned to Balboa , Panama , and was based there for target practice , hydrographic experiments , and to obtain political information , visiting various neighboring countries to promote friendly relations . On 16 September 1921 , she was at Puerto Barrios , Guatemala , to attend the anniversary of Guatemalan independence . " Dolphin " arrived at Boston Navy Yard on 14 October . She was decommissioned on 8 December and sold on 25 February 1922 .