Rainier was first and foremost a naval officer and without the active support of the various departments of the Royal Navy he could not be successful and he would be recalled. If he were able to manage both upwards and downwards he would keep a maximum of independence. Any orders he received would be at least three months out of date and might not be appropriate to the actual conditions in which he found himself. How he communicated with London and how far he told the Admiralty what he was doing, rather than asking what he should do, would be important in deciding his future.

The Admiralty

Once on station, for the first time in his career, Rainier had an independent command. He now had to communicate by letter with his direct superiors, officially the Board of Admiralty. His letters to Nepean, from March 1795 Stephens' successor as the Secretary to the Board, show a detailed mind much concerned with the need to maintain his ships at sea through effective administration. Rainier must have felt some comfort in communicating with the Admiralty, knowing Stephens was now a Board member. He had benefited from his influence since obtaining his commission in 1768, just before Stephens became MP for Sandwich for the first time.