Rodney's record included Cape Finisterre, Rochefort, Louisbourg, Caribbean expeditions, Gibraltar relief, and Saint Vincent before the Saintes. Hood had fought at Le Havre, the Chesapeake, and other Atlantic and Caribbean operations, and would later serve at Toulon and Corsica. Francis Samuel Drake had accumulated experience around Dominica, Martinique, the Dutch West Indies, Fort Royal, the Chesapeake, and Saint Kitts. These were not merely famous surnames placed in ceremonial command. Together they gave the British fleet senior officers familiar with blockade, amphibious operations, fleet action, and the practical demands of Caribbean service.
Chapter · 36:51-42:46
Rodney, Hood, and Drake formed an unusually experienced command team
The British senior team brought decades of amphibious, blockade, convoy, and fleet-battle experience to the Caribbean.