 Under the new administration, there were some half-hearted attempts at reform, with the ordering of the 90-gun to be razeed to 74 guns in response to the increasing French and Spanish practice of building 74-gun ships, and an experiment in building larger ships for their class which resulted in the construction of and .The Duke of Bedford, again a civilian, was appointed First Lord in December 1744.He relied upon Rear-Admiral George Anson, who had refused promotion to flag rank under the previous First Lord.