 When he spoke to the privy councillors on 14 May, the nominal strength of the fleet assigned to the joint commanders was over ninety, although at least a dozen of these had not joined the fleet at the mouth of the Thames and three ships then with the fleet later returned to port.Four of the missing vessels had been refitted but could not be fully manned in time to join the fleet, three were being repaired and five newly-constructed ships which had been expected to join in May were delayed by difficulties in manning and victualing them.Much of the problem was that Charles II and his ministers had planned for a short war, but keeping a large fleet in being for a year after the partial victory of Lowestoft put demands on English public finances in 1666 that were almost impossible for it to meet.