Flag rank, prize money, and Rodney's family ambition

Flag rank brought honor and the possibility of transformative wealth, but the value of promotion depended heavily on the station and opportunities assigned. Admirals had to maintain formal and informal staffs and bear political and diplomatic expenses. An independent frigate captain could accumulate many smaller captures, whereas Rodney preferred fleet actions and harbor operations that offered fewer but much larger prizes. Coming from limited means, he wanted a decisive success that could secure his children's and grandchildren's position. His professional ambition and private family strategy therefore pointed toward the same kind of high-stakes command.