Lawrence was fortunate, as he would later write to his father, to be appointed "Captain of the Soldiers acting as Marines" on board Vernon's flagship, the 80-gun HMS Princess Caroline.
Lawrence war glücklich, wie er seinem Vater später schrieb, zum "Captain of the Soldiers acting as Marines" an Bord von Vernons Flaggschiff, der HMS Princess Caroline (einem 80-Kanonen Linienschiff) berufen worden zu sein.