britain maintained no colonies or naval bases in the mediterranean at the start of the revolutionary wars, with the exception of gibraltar, a fortified port on the southern coast of spain which had been captured in 1704. for most of the eighteenth century minorca had also been under british control, but it was recaptured by the spanish in the american revolutionary war, leaving the british with few assets in the region. britain did however have significant commercial interests in the mediterranean and had, for more than a century, routinely deployed fleets to the sea in times of war to protect british trade routes. unlike the french navy, the royal navy was in a state of high readiness, having been effectively modernised since the american war, and partially mobilised in the spanish armament of 1790 and the russian armament of 1791. at the outbreak of war the british had only a small frigate squadron, led by the 50-gun hms "romney" under rear-admiral samuel goodall, stationed in the mediterranean.