 On arriving in Panama, he was promoted to Fleet Engineer on board the flagship USS "Pensacola".In 1869, he served on a commission headed by Rear Admiral Louis M. Goldsborough that condemned the design of USS "Wampanoag", contained numerous design features unprecedented in American naval construction.Robie was stationed at the Boston Navy Yard in 1870 and 1871, then ordered to USS "Wabash", which sailed the Mediterranean Sea.