By December that year "Sultan" was back in England undergoing a refit and recoppering at Plymouth. The works took until April following and cost £11,914.2.10d. She was recommissioned in May 1781, under Captain James Watt, and in June, sailed for the East Indies. In 1782, having at some point returned to home waters, "Sultan" and were sent back to the East Indies to join Sir Edward Hughes' fleet, arriving from England in time to fight in the battles of Providien, Negapatam and Trincomalee. During the journey, scurvy had taken its toll on the men from both ships. Encountering Hughes en route to Trincomalee, neither ship had an opportunity to land the sick and reinforce, and were thus forced to do battle with depleted crews.