After a period of time "in ordinary" and a refit at Plymouth "Powerful" was recommissioned in 1790. In early April 1793, soon after the declaration of war between France and England, "Powerful", under the command of Captain Thomas Hicks, was part of a squadron commanded by Rear Admiral John Gell. The squadron sailed from the Mersey with orders to escort a convoy of East Indiamen to Finisterre. There Gell ordered "Powerful" and to accompany the convoy as far as the Cape. Soon after the remainder of the squadron captured two ships; the French 22-gun privateer "General Dumourier", and her prize the Spanish ship "St. Jago", captured 11 days earlier. The "St. Jago" had sailed from Lima loaded with some fifty-five to sixty tons of silver coin, gold bars, precious stones and plate, and in addition a valuable cargo of pewter, copper, bark, cocoa and wool. The treasure was shipped back to England and stored in the Tower of London while legal arguments raged. Eventually, in 1795 the Lords of Appeal awarded prize money set at £935,000 (equivalent to more than £100 million today) to the captors. Meanwhile, "Boyne" and "Powerful" were ruled not to have contributed towards the capture, and so received nothing. However, prize money was later awarded to the crew of "Powerful" for two ships; the French East Indiaman "Countess of Trauttmansdorff" captured on 1 August 1793, and for the British ship "George" of Liverpool, recaptured on 28 January 1794.