At the start of the American Revolution, the Royal Navy numbered over 250 vessels of all sizes. These ranged from massive ships-of-the-line to tiny sloops and coastal vessels. By the end of the war that number would nearly double as the navy expanded to meet the threat posed by other European powers fighting alongside the Americans. Navy vessels were organized along a rating system that broadly defined their size and their use. At the top of the system were the first-rate ships, which featured over 100 guns arranged on three gun decks, manned by over 800 officers and men. Every rated vessel was commanded by a captain, who had a number of commissioned officers who served under him. Unlike officers in the army, naval officers did not purchase their commissions, and instead gained their commissions through a mix of experience, networking, and luck.

Although the surrender at Yorktown meant the end of major hostilities by land, the naval war continued with even greater ferocity over the next two years. In April 1782 the Royal Navy would get their revenge against De Grasse at the Battle of the Saintes, off the coast of the Caribbean island of Dominica. The last major naval action of the war was fought on June 20, 1783, when a British fleet engaged a smaller French force off the coast of Cuddalore. It was not until after the battle concluded that both sides discovered that a preliminary peace treaty had been signed. Two months later the signing of the Treaty of Paris brought the war to an official end.