Did Britain try to match the Russian squadron?

Was the British contribution designed to equal the Russians or merely exceed the French?

Britain preferred parity with Russia and compensated for fewer line ships with more frigates and small craft.

Coalition equality could be assembled through different force mixes. The Russians brought four heavy line ships, one more than the British squadron. Britain answered with four frigates and five smaller vessels, giving Codrington more hulls for scouting, fireship defence, and local tasks. The answer therefore treats parity as a political and operational calculation rather than a requirement for identical ship totals.