By August 1782 Kempenfelt had advanced from flag captain to squadron commander under Lord Howe. His flagship HMS Royal George had been laid down in 1747, launched in 1756, and had fought at Quiberon Bay and Cape St Vincent. Giving Kempenfelt the 100-gun first-rate signaled his importance within Howe's fleet. The valuable but aging ship was being refitted at Portsmouth as quickly as possible for the relief of Gibraltar when repairs to a water intake required her to be heeled over.
Chapter · 30:00-32:44
HMS Royal George before the fatal refit
Kempenfelt's 100-gun flagship was an aging but prestigious first-rate being hurriedly repaired before Lord Howe's relief of Gibraltar.