Howe joined the navy at the age of thirteen and served throughout the War of the Austrian Succession. During the Seven Years War he gained a reputation for his role in amphibious operations against the French coast as part of Britain's policy of naval descents. He took part in the decisive British naval victory at the Battle of Quiberon Bay in 1759. He is best known for his service during the American War of Independence, when he acted as a naval commander and a peace commissioner with the American rebels, and for his command of the British fleet during the Glorious First of June in 1794.