Ballard entered the navy in December 1776, under the patronage of Captain the Honourable John Leveson-Gower, son of John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower, who was at that time the captain of the , which formed part of the fleet under the command of Admiral Keppel during the summer of 1778. In October 1779 he was transferred to the , Captain Mark Robinson, and was present in her when Sir George Rodney defeated the Spanish fleet off Cape St. Vincent on 16 January 1780. In the following July the "Shrewsbury" rejoined Rodney's fleet in the West Indies, was present off Martinique on 29 April 1781, and led the van in the action off the Chesapeake on 5 September 1781. During the battle the brunt of the fight fell on the "Shrewsbury", which had fourteen killed and fifty-two wounded, including Captain Robinson, who lost a leg. The ship afterwards returned to the West Indies with Sir Samuel Hood, and was with him in the operations at St. Kitts in January 1782, after which she had to be sent to Jamaica for repairs. On 10 February 1783, whilst still at Jamaica, Ballard was made a 5th lieutenant by Admiral Rowley, and was actively employed in different ships during the ten years of peace. When war again broke out he was a first lieutenant of the , which carried Rear-Admiral Alan Gardner's flag through the last days of May and 1 June 1794. The battle of the Glorious First of June won for Ballard his commander's rank on 5 July 1794, and on 1 August 1795 he was further advanced to the rank of post-captain.