In 1781, Lee returned to Britain and joined first HMS "Recovery" and then HMS "Raisonnable", in which he participated in the relief of Gibraltar during the Great Siege. With the fleet under Lord Howe, Lee subsequently participated in the indecisive Battle of Cape Spartel. Lee remained in service during the peace that followed, initially on and then on the fourth rate in the West Indies under Rear-Admiral Philip Affleck. Under Affleck's patronage, Lee received a promotion to commander in and acted as a convoy escort during the opening months of the French Revolutionary Wars, for which service he was given substantial financial rewards by the convoy's merchants and insurers. "Serpent" was subsequently deployed in support of allied forces during the siege of Nieuwpoort, returning in June 1794 when Lee was promoted to post captain.