In October 1696 he was promoted to Vice Admiral and given command of the Mediterranean Fleet, sailing for Cadiz on 3 November in the with a fleet of fifteen men-of-war and many merchantmen. In December, news reached London of what John Charnock describes as "a project more piratical than national" on the part of the French. A fleet was being assembled under Bernard Desjean, Baron de Pointis to attack the Spanish West Indian trade. This would adversely affect British commercial interests too, so plans were put in place to stop it.