Drake was born on 4 March 1846 at
Yates in
Orleans County,
New York. During the Civil War, he joined the Union Navy on 23 February 1863 at the age of sixteen. Drake served as an
enlisted man in the
North Atlantic Squadron, participating aboard the
sloop-of-war in the
Union blockade of the
Confederate States of America and in hunting Confederate
privateers. Appointed a
midshipman by competitive examination from
New York's 31st congressional district, he entered the
United States Naval Academy in
Annapolis,
Maryland on 24 July 1863. He performed duty aboard the
steamer in 1865 and participated in practice cruises aboard the
frigate and the sloop-of-war in 1867 before graduating on 2 June 1868. He was promoted to
ensign on 19 April 1869. Drake initially performed duty in the
West Indies in 1868, then served aboard the
gunboat from 1868 to 1869 and aboard the steamer in 1869 and was promoted to
ensign on 19 April 1869. He temporarily transferred to the
United States Army from 1869 to 1870 for training and service as a
signals officer, was promoted to
master on 12 July 1870, and returned to Navy service as fleet signal officer of the
Asiatic Squadron aboard the
squadrons
flagship, the
screw frigate , from 1870 to 1871. In 1871, he served aboard the screw sloop-of-war in the Asiatic Squadron and commanded
Company B in the land assault on Korean fortifications at
Seoul during the
American expedition to
Korea of that year, and was commended for his actions by the commander of the landing force,
Commander Lewis Kimberly. Drake was aboard the
sidewheel gunboat in 1872, was promoted to
lieutenant on 15 November 1872, and returned for a second tour aboard USS
Colorado from 1872 to 1873. He was at the
Naval Torpedo Station at
Newport,
Rhode Island, in 1873, and later that year was aboard the
monitor in the North Atlantic Squadron. He served aboard the sloop-of-war in the
Pacific Squadron from in 1874, transferring to the steamer of the same squadron later that year. In 1875, Drake reported for duty aboard , the
receiving ship at the
Mare Island Navy Yard in
Vallejo,
California. From 1875 to 1876, he was a member of the navy yards
ordnance department. From 1876 to 1878, he served aboard the
United States Coast Survey steamer
Hassler on
surveying duty along the northwest coast of the United States and in 1878 was aboard the sidewheel steam frigate in the North Atlantic Squadron. From 1878 to 1881, Drake was on special service aboard the screw sloop-of-war while she made a voyage around the world. During the voyage, he led a surveying expedition to
Liberia in 1879 which mapped out the headwaters of the
Saint John River and in the spring of 1880 conducted a reconnaissance of the
Congo River during which he concluded a treaty with tribal chiefs along the south shore of the river between its mouth and its lower falls. After returning to the United States, Drake was assigned to the
New York Navy Yard at
Brooklyn, New York, from 1881 to 1882, then had special duty from 1883 to 1885 on the first Advisory Board and as inspector of materiel in the U.S. Navys construction of its first
steel ships. He went to sea, serving in the
European Squadron from 1885 to 1887, first aboard the screw steamer in 1885 and then on the screw
corvette from 1886 to 1887. He returned to the United States aboard
Pensacola in 1888 and that year took up duties as inspector of construction for , the U.S. Navys first
torpedo boat. From 1889 to 1891 he was inspector of construction for the
Howell Automobile Torpedo, and in 1892 he had special duty at the
Bureau of Ordnance for upcoming the
World's Columbian Exhibition. In 1893 he was assistant inspector of construction for the new
protected cruiser , then being built at
Columbian Iron Works in
Baltimore, Maryland. He was promoted to
lieutenant commander on 1 October 1893. Drake returned to sea as
commanding officer of the
United States Fish Commission steamer
Albatross in 1894. During his tour,
Albatross completed the exploration of the seabed in the
Bering Sea, studied the extent and flow of currents and their effect on the
ice pack in and north of the
Bering Strait, surveyed the
Pribilof Islands, and studied the habitat of the
fur seal and extent of the sealing belt in the area. He detached from
Albatross in 1896 and reported aboard the new
battleship in June 1896 as her
executive officer. He remained aboard
Oregon from her
commissioning in July 1896 until 22 August 1897, and was credited with the training and development of the fighting efficiency of her crew that in 1898 allowed her to make her famous voyage from the
Pacific Ocean to the
Caribbean Sea and perform with great success in the
Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the
Spanish–American War. After detaching from
Oregon, Drake became inspector of ordnance at the Mare Island Navy Yard. During his tour there, he also oversaw the manufacture of
gunpowder at the
California Powder Works and conducted experiments to test the stability and keeping qualities of the Navys new smokeless powder; he received a letter of thanks from
Commodore George Dewey for the quality of
ammunition supplied to the Asiatic Squadron during the Spanish–American War. In May 1898, he took up additional duty as commanding officer of the screw steamer at the navy yard while retaining his position as inspector of ordnance, and was promoted to commander on 3 March 1899. In May 1900 received preliminary orders to command the steam sloop-of-war as a
training ship. Drake detached from Mare Island Navy Yard on 12 December 1900 and proceeded to duty in the Asiatic Squadron, where he took command of the
refrigerated stores ship on 17 March 1901. Detaching from
Culgoa at
Manila in
Philippine Islands on 27 May 1901, he was ordered to
Cavite Navy Yard at
Cavite before taking command of the monitor on 8 July 1901. Drake was promoted to captain on 11 September 1903. Drake was commanding officer of the battleship from 14 December 1904 until November 1906. He retired from the Navy as a rear admiral on 10 December 1906. ==Personal life==