Rebuilding Napoleon's navy around training, Toulon and Gibraltar

If Napoleon placed you in permanent command of the French Navy in 1800, what policies and strategy would you adopt?

Rebuild the officer and NCO corps, produce two-deck 84-gun ships, concentrate on Toulon and seek Mediterranean success before taking Gibraltar and moving toward the Channel.

Rebuilding the NCO corps, officer corps and navy's training forms the starting point. Explosive shells are briefly considered, with metallurgy and exposure to salt water raised as difficulties. The proposed construction programme favours two-deck 84-gun ships for their manageable command arrangements and greater broadside than 74s. Brest would remain active under a trusted deputy while the main effort concentrated on Toulon. The aim is to fight a chosen battle near the French Mediterranean base, where British commitments are considered stretched. Cooperation with Spain and the capture of Gibraltar would then support an advance around Spain toward Brest and the Channel. The criticism of Napoleon's historical approach centres on an overly ambitious timetable and insufficient attention to the order in which these tasks had to be achieved.