The blockade of Malta between 1798 and 1800 has been covered extensively from the perspective of the landward activities: artillery batteries have been depicted and located; manoeuvres, attacks and casualties discussed in detail. The seaward activities, however, seem to have been ignored, or at best glossed over – they deserve greater attention. This article takes a look at the blockade from the perspective of one of the Royal Navy captains who commanded a frigate that took part in the blockade. Although Captain Graham Eden Hamond, RN, contributed to the blockade for just three months from the beginning of May until the end of July, 1800, his letters home, together with the detailed naval logbook of Samuel Robison, a midshipman aboard HMS Champion (22 guns), present us with some fascinating details of this long-drawn-out action. Sir Andrew Snape Hamond. Engraving by G. H. Philips after a portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence. Photo: Author’s collection Graham Eden Hamond was born into an established British naval family. His father, Captain Sir Andrew Snape Hamond, RN, commanded HMS Roebuck during the American War of Independence, and in 1780 was appointed lieutenant-governor of Nova...