sentences:  Spain followed in 1779 and the Netherlands in 1780, and so Britain had to face its three greatest rivals.Middleton took the view that Britain was "outnumbered at every station", and the Navy was required to "extricate us from present danger".He understood that coppering allowed the navy to stay at sea for much longer without the need for cleaning and repairs to the underwater hull, making it a very attractive, if expensive, proposition.