With the outbreak of war with Revolutionary France he was first engaged in recruiting seamen for the service, after which he became involved in the transport and logistics side of naval warfare, which was to remain his forte for the rest of his career.

His service in the West Indies, in home waters and in the Mediterranean brought him to the attention of influential army and navy leaders, who helped him to find postings and be promoted.

[1] After leaving the Ulysses, Young served aboard the 64-gun HMS Ruby, the flagship of Sir Peter Parker at Jamaica, before being promoted to an acting-lieutenancy on 5 February 1781.

[3] With the outbreak of war with Revolutionary France, Young was at first engaged in raising upwards of 1000 seamen through voluntary subscriptions from the merchants, bankers, and others of the city of London, and in December 1794 he joined the navy's Transport department.

[1] In October he was put in charge of the transports in the Downs and Ramsgate and took them to the Texel, after which, in July 1800 he oversaw the embarkation of troops for the expedition to Ferrol, which he accompanied as Principal Agent.

[1] His service in the Mediterranean was noticed and praised by Sir Ralph Abercromby and Lord Keith, and on their recommendations Young was advanced to Post-rank on 29 April 1802.

[1][2] He was then employed under Rear-Admiral James Hawkins-Whitshed in fitting out gun-vessels at Dublin, embarking troops at Cork, and establishing signal-posts on the south-west coast of Ireland, in preparation for a threatened French invasion.

His eldest son, William Hall Young, followed his father into the navy, and served as a midshipman in the West Indies, but died at Plymouth in October 1809.