At the outbreak of the French Revolutionary War, Romulus was despatched to the Mediterranean where she joined a fleet under Admiral Lord Hood, initially blockading, and later occupying, the port of Toulon.

Following the Battle of Genoa on 14 March 1795, boats from Romulus assisted in the recovery of stores and crew from HMS Illustrious, which had been badly damaged during the action and subsequent storm.

While the escaping convoy was escorted to Gibraltar, Romulus, with Nelson's ship HMS Minerve, carried out a surveillance of the enemy ports and coast.

When hostilities resumed in May 1803, Romulus was converted into a floating battery, standing guard first at Woolwich, then Hollesley Bay near East Anglia and finally Leith.

[1] Launched on 21 September 1785, Romulus was taken down the Thames to Deptford Dockyard, where work began on 11 October to have her sheathed in copper and rigged for sailing to Portsmouth.

Following Britain's entry into the French Revolutionary War in February 1793, Romulus was recommissioned under Captain John Sutton and refitted at Portsmouth in April.

[8] The British fleet under Hood was laying off Bastia in early June 1794 when word was received that seven French ships-of-the-line and five frigates had broken out of Toulon.

Setting off in pursuit, with 13 ships-of-the-line and four frigates, including Romulus, the British spotted their quarry on 10 June, and by dawn the next day had closed the distance to 12 nautical miles (22 km).

[9] When they arrived at the anchorage at about 14:00, the only British ship close enough to engage was the 28-gun frigate HMS Dido which was beaten off by the fire from the rearmost French vessels and the two forts guarding the entrance.

A plan was formulated to capture or destroy the French fleet with Romulus, Dido, Juno, Meleager and the 74-gun HMS Illustrious, attacking the four enemy frigates.

The scheme was delayed by contrary winds and tides and then cancelled after the French fortified their position by landing guns and establishing batteries on the shore.

[10] Hood returned to Corsica, arriving at Calvi on 27 June with Victory, Princess Royal and two 74s, having left the remainder of the fleet under Hotham.

The force, comprising nine ships-of-the-line and four frigates, including Romulus was supposed to blockade the bay, but was blown off station during a storm, and the French escaped back to Toulon.

The following day, a British scout, the 24-gun sloop HMS Moselle, brought news that a French fleet of 15 ships-of-the-line, six frigates and two brigs, had been seen off the islands of Sainte-Marguerite.

Making their way back to Toulon against the wind, the French had with them the recently captured 74-gun HMS Berwick, which had been undergoing repairs at Corsica and was sailing under a jury rig when taken on 8 March.

Two French ships of the line, Berwick and Mercure, were damaged and had to be escorted to Gourjean Bay by two frigates, leaving the opposing fleets roughly equal in strength and number.

[19] Following temporary repairs to the battle and storm damaged British Fleet, Romulus and her compatriots left Spezia bay on 25 March and arrived the next day at San Fiorenzo, where further work was carried out to the afflicted ships.

[25] The two British ships approached under false colours and did not reveal their true identity until they were alongside; at which point the Spanish vessel struck, without a shot being fired.

[32] On 3 December, while Culverhouse was recovering from an illness, Lieutenant Thomas Staines was appointed to the command of Romulus to ferry the 64th Regiment of Foot from Alexandria to Malta.

She guarded the Thames near Woolwich until June, when, hostilities with France having resumed in May, she was transferred to Hollesley Bay, off East Anglia, a popular anchorage for the Royal Navy at that time.