In June 1686 Graydon was appointed lieutenant of ; in May 1688 first lieutenant of , and in October was advanced to the command of the sixth-rate 16 gun
HMS Soldado previously
HMY Suadadoes. In her he took part in the
battle of Bantry Bay on 1 May 1689, and was shortly afterwards promoted to , which he commanded in the
battle of Beachy Head, 30 June 1690. In 1692 he commanded in the
action at Barfleur. From 1694 to 1695 he was appointed
Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth and with the grand fleet through 1695. From 1695 to 1697 he commanded , also with the grand fleet. In April 1701 in he convoyed the trade to
Newfoundland, and seeing the trade thence into the
Mediterranean was back in
England by the spring of 1702. In June, while in command of at
Portsmouth, he was promoted to be
rear-admiral of the blue, and ordered out to join
Sir George Rooke on the coast of
Spain. He was with him in the
attempt on Cadiz, and in the destruction of the enemy's ships at the
Battle of Vigo Bay; and having his flag in returned home in company with
Sir Cloudesley Shovell in charge of the prizes. The following January he was promoted to be
vice-admiral of the white, and appointed commander-in-chief of a squadron sent out to the
Jamaica Station. He sailed with special orders to make the best of his way out, to collect such force, both of ships and troops, as might be available, and going north to reduce the French settlement of
Placentia. A few days after he sailed, on 18 March, he fell in with a squadron of four French ships of force clearly inferior to the five with him. Graydon, however, considered that he was bound by his instructions to avoid all chances of delay; he allowed them to pass him unhindered, and did not pursue. He arrived at
Barbados on 12 May, and at
Jamaica on 4 June but the necessity of refitting, the condition of several of the ships, some of which had been long on the station, the want of stores, and the bad feeling with the locals, all combined to delay the expedition. It did not reach Newfoundland till the beginning of August. From that time for thirty days it was enveloped in a dense fog; it was 3 September before the fleet was again assembled, and then a
council of war, considering the lateness of the season, the bad condition of the ships, the sickly state of the men, the want of provisions, and the strength of the enemy at Placentia, decided that the attack ought not to be made. On 24 September the fleet accordingly sailed for England; the weather was very bad, the ships were scattered, and singly reached home in the course of October. ==References==