Built as the revival of a design that had fallen out of favour as naval architecture developed, Mediator was intended to operate in the shallow waters of the North American coastline.

Her first significant action was fought off the European coastline however, when her captain, James Luttrell attacked and defeated an American and French convoy off Ferrol, taking two ships as prizes.

Resisting an attempt by his prisoners to seize his ship, Luttrell returned home to public applause and praise from King George III.

Camel saw important service in the French Revolutionary Wars, making several voyages to the fleets in the Mediterranean and serving under several officers who would becoming prominent in the navy.

She also made trips further afield, returning to the West Indies on occasion, as well as making voyages to the Cape of Good Hope to deliver supplies to the armies there.

Her crew, together with that of a sloop also anchored in the bay, mounted a strong defence, and despite being damaged, forced the French ship to withdraw.

The force consisted of several American and French privateer frigates, storeships and transport vessels under the command of Nicolas Baudin, intending to deliver reinforcements and supplies to America.

[6] The surviving ships were still in sight on the morning of 13 December, but Luttrell had a large number of prisoners to guard, and with the hostile Spanish coast nearby, decided to head for a British port with his prizes.

[6] The captured prisoners made an attempt to seize the Mediator during the voyage to Britain, but prompt action by the ship's officers quashed the rising without bloodshed.

Collingwood sailed in late September for Antigua, carrying John Moutray, the new commissioner for English Harbour, and his wife Mary.

[8][c] Together with Collingwood's younger brother Wilfred, who had arrived on the station in command of the 14-gun sloop HMS Rattler, the officers decided to take a firm stance on implementing the Navigation Acts, despite the apparent unwillingness to do so by the more senior officers, such as Moutray, the station's commander Admiral Sir Richard Hughes, and the Governor of the Leeward Islands, Thomas Shirley.

[12] Collingwood continued to use Mediator to intercept foreign trade, seizing the Lovely Ann, flying an Irish flag, in February, and an American brig named Dolphin in June 1785.

[13] Incensed, the merchants of the island threatened Collingwood and Nelson with writs for wrongful seizure, and both were pursued by lawyers for a time.

Further damage occurred when A terrible crash took part in the fore part of the ship, accompanied by a tremendous explosion and stench of sulphur, deep groans followed, – sixteen men upon the main deck were knocked down, some were apparently dead and others groaning; relief was instantly afforded, and in about four hours after all were apparently well again.

A lightning ball had struck the fore topmast, passed into the pigsty, and through the galley into the waist, where it burst and overthrew seventeen men; eleven pigs in the sty before the mast were killed, belonging to the Captain; the silver buckles in the shoes of the gunner were melted into wire, and himself was knocked out of the roundhouse forward.

[15] Despite the dramatic nature of the lightning strike, no one was killed, except for the pigs, which Collingwood gave to the crew as a reward for their work in repairing the foremast.

The Admiralty made the decision in an order dated 19 December 1787 to have her undergo a large repair and refit to repurpose her as a storeship.

[1] Camel did not return immediately to service, but was briefly recommissioned during the Russian Armament in April 1791, under Commander Charles Patton.

[2] The outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars was the next opportunity for active service, and Camel was recommissioned in February 1793 under Commander Benjamin Hallowell, who took her out to the Mediterranean in May that year to join the fleet under Admiral Lord Hood.

[2] Camel had been used to carry stores and supplies to the Cape for the use of the army under General Francis Dundas, which was fighting the Third Frontier War.

As they approached, the British sailors saw armed men aboard and realised the ship was a large frigate; they immediately returned to Camel.

[22][24] Both Lee and Gooch had made several attempts to return to their ship, but were unable to launch their boats due to the raging surf on the beach.

[2] With the outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars, Camel was recommissioned under Commander John Ayscough in June 1803 and returned to the West Indies later that year.

After service as a young lieutenant aboard HMS Speedy some years before she won fame under Lord Cochrane, Raigersfeld rose eventually to be a rear-admiral, albeit as a yellow admiral.