 Vashon was superseded on 26 March 1801 , and the following day Captain Edward Brace arrived to take command . Neptune became the flagship of Vice @-@ Admiral James Gambier during this period . Brace 's period of command was brief , he was superseded by Captain Francis Austen on 12 September . With the draw down in hostilities prior to the signing of the Treaty of Amiens in March 1802 , Neptune was one of the many ships of the Mediterranean fleet to be ordered home , arriving at Portsmouth on 24 February . Austen paid her off on 29 April , but recommissioned her the next day . Neptune then underwent a brief refit , during which £ 5 @,@ 728 was expended , £ 2 @,@ 895 of which was spent on her hull , masts and yards . Austen was superseded on 30 September 1802 and the following day Captain William O 'Bryen Drury took command . With Neptune fully refitted and stored , she sailed from the dockyard and joined the Channel Fleet at Spithead on 29 October . 
