In 1746 he returned to Britain, and from then until 1780, when he was made rear admiral, he saw active service in the East Indies with Sir George Pocock and in various quarters of the world.

[2] In 1781 he won the Battle of Ushant, with a vastly inferior force, defeating the French fleet under Guichen and capturing 20 ships.

A supply vessel, Lark, approached Royal George on her low side to transfer a cargo of rum.

According to an Admiralty report – not made public until early the next century – the larboard cannons' weight on the ship's central frame caused excessively decayed timbers to break.

Nine hundred people were estimated to have lost their lives, for besides the crew there were a large number of tradesmen and women and children on board.

A 1768 painting of Kempenfelt, along with his fellow mariners Sir Samuel Cornish, 1st Baronet and Thomas Parry went on permanent display at Queen's House in Greenwich in Autumn 2022.

[6] The painting is by the artist Tilly Kettle and was purchased by the National Maritime Museum, with assistance from the Society for Nautical Research.