He was a midshipman on board HMS Neptune (the flagship of Sir Charles Saunders, stationed in the St Lawrence River) by 24 September 1759, on which date he was promoted lieutenant and transferred to the Shrewsbury under Captain Hugh Palliser.

[1] From 1759 to peace in 1763 he served on the Shrewsbury, then on 17 April 1764 he was given his first command, the sloop Goree, soon followed on 20 June 1765 by being made post captain of the Surprise (20 guns).

[1] Finally he was appointed captain of Asia just before her commissioning in December 1773, and sailed her to the North American station, where he and she stayed until 1777, mostly in or around New York City and Boston.

Her crew had intended to be captured and hoped that the gunpowder would be immediately transferred to the Asia's hold and the boat allowed to go free, so that a sabotage device (consisting of a clockwork which would fire a musket lock at a set time) hidden in the gunpowder would go off inside the Asia and destroy her.

[1] It was on board the Asia that he received promotion to Admiral of the Blue on 14 February 1799,[2] and on which he died suddenly at sea just over a year later.