Jackdaw

2017-02-24T12:29:17Z

204.10.63.244: /* History */

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{{Era|AC4|4book}}
{{Quote|This country here is my best chance. This country called Jackdaw, where I know the names of all the citizens and they know mine, and we work together. Not always out of love, but to keep our country afloat.|Adéwalé to Edward Kenway, 1717.|Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag}}
[[File:AC4 Jackdaw.png|thumb|250px|The ''Jackdaw'' docked in Great Inagua]]
The '''''Jackdaw''''' was a [[brig]] captained by the [[Piracy|pirate]]-turned-[[Assassins|Assassin]] [[Edward Kenway]], which he obtained with the help of [[Adéwalé]], during his time in the [[Caribbean|West Indies]].

Before Kenway's captaincy, the [[Ships|ship]] was known as '''''El Dorado''''', and formed a part of the [[Spanish Treasure Fleet]]. Upon securing her, Kenway renamed the vessel ''Jackdaw'', after the {{Wiki|Western jackdaw|bird}} of the same name.

==History==
===Procurement===
[[File:The Treasure Fleet 9.png|thumb|250px|left|Adéwalé and Edward assessing the damage done to ''El Dorado'']]
After an imprisoned Edward Kenway was placed on a ship in the fleet bound for [[Spain]], he met his future quartermaster, Adéwalé, who helped free Edward from the bilboes and assisted him in incapacitating the [[guards]] until the pirates retrieved their equipment.<ref name="AC4">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]''</ref>

Following this, the pair secured a crew by freeing other prisoners from their Spanish captors, and set their sights on a brig within the fleet, ''El Dorado''. Subsequently, Kenway used the pirates he freed to escape from the fleet under the cover of a hurricane. While ''El Dorado'' managed to successfully navigate the natural disaster, the remaining ships sank during the pursuit. Later on, Kenway then rechristened the ship the ''Jackdaw'', after a small, swift bird from his home of [[Wales]].<ref name="AC4"/>

===Piracy===
{{Dialogue|Edward|It's a shaky feeling, sailing around with this much stolen cargo.|Hornigold|Get used to it. We'll need to take a few more prizes to make this a profitable day.|Edward Kenway and Benjamin Hornigold, after the ''Jackdaw'' took its first schooner, 1715.|Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag}}
The ''Jackdaw''’s first major act of piracy took place off of the coast of [[Nassau]] in 1715, when captain [[Benjamin Hornigold]] showed Kenway how to successfully take a ship. It was after this voyage that the brig was given its very own black [[Flags|flag]].<ref name="AC4"/>

[[File:Proper Defenses 5.png|thumb|250px|The ''Jackdaw'' tailing ''El Arca del Maestro'']]
Soon after, it was used Kenway to [[Cat Island]] to plunder a [[Sugar plantations|plantation]], and eventually followed a Spanish [[Man O' War]], ''[[El Arca del Maestro]]'', through [[the Bahamas]] to its moorings at [[Great Inagua]]. Kenway then infiltrated the island, killed the [[France|French]] [[Templars|Templar]] [[Julien du Casse]] and took both the ship and the island. It was here that he would establish his own base of operations, and the ''Jackdaw'' could often be found moored at the docks in the cove.<ref name="AC4"/>

The ''Jackdaw'' traveled across the West Indies Sea to the ancient city of [[Tulum]], home of the [[Caribbean Assassins]], where the crew members were soon taken prisoner by [[Laurens Prins]]; Kenway soon freed his crew and they returned to sea. Shortly after, the ship took its first [[Forts|fort]], located at [[Fort Matías|Punta Guarico]], and made sail for [[Kingston]]. After Kenway killed Prins, the ship returned to Nassau.<ref name="AC4"/>

[[File:The Siege of Charles-Towne 3.png|thumb|250px|left|Edward steering the ''Jackdaw'' through a bayou]]
However, the Pirate Republic was suffering from disease, prompting Kenway to outfit the ''Jackdaw'' with a diving bell in search for medicines. When he came up empty, he followed his fellow pirate [[Edward Thatch]] to [[Charleston|Charles-Towne]] to secure medicines before returning again to Nassau.<ref name="AC4"/>

After the city was blockaded by the [[United Kingdom|British]], the ''Jackdaw'', along with [[Charles Vane]]'s ship, the ''[[Ranger]]'', was able to escape and flee to Great Inagua. There, Kenway made plans to find Thatch again and set sail for [[Ocracoke]]. When the pirates were ambushed by the [[Royal Navy]], the ''Jackdaw'' was the only vessel to escape.<ref name="AC4"/>

The ''Jackdaw'' and the ''Ranger'' met up again off the coast of Cuba, in pursuit of a ship that would lead them to [[Bartholomew Roberts]]. However, Vane's associate [[Jack Rackham]] had engineered a mutiny, taking the ''Jackdaw'' and leaving Kenway and Vane marooned on [[Isla Providencia]].<ref name="AC4"/>

[[File:Trust is Earned 1.png|thumb|250px|The ''Jackdaw'' approaching Príncipe]]
Kenway managed to make his way back to Great Inagua, where Ad Marc Newman ne into hiding. After freeing Roberts, he followed him to the coast of [[Mexico]], where the two infiltrated and battled a [[Portugal|Portuguese]] fleet before sailing for the [[Observatory]], Kenway's ultimate goal.<ref name="AC4"/>

Along the way, the ''Jackdaw'' chased Hornigold's ship, the ''[[Benjamin (ship)|Benjamin]]'', through a fog bank before Kenway assassinated his former friend, clearing the way to the Observatory. When Roberts betrayed Edward deep inside the complex, Adéwalé and the crew quickly fled. It would be almost a year before Kenway would be reunited with his ship in Kingston, although Adéwalé chose not to join his captain, revealing his intentions to join the Assassin Order and suggesting that Edward do the same.<ref name="AC4"/>

===Alliance with the Assassins===
Shortly thereafter, the vessel returned again to Tulum, where Edward allied himself with the Assassins and received three targets: [[Woodes Rogers]], [[Laureano de Torres y Ayala|Laureano Torres]], and Roberts. The ''Jackdaw''’s flag was replaced with one bearing an Assassin insignia, and [[Anne Bonny]] took Adéwalé's place as quartermaster.<ref name="AC4"/>

[[File:Royal Misfortune 3.png|thumb|left|250px|The ''Jackdaw'' pursuing the ''Royal Fortune'']]
Edward sailed for Kingston to eliminate Rogers. In turn, the Templar revealed Roberts' location in Príncipe, where the ''Jackdaw'' sailed next. In a tremendous battle between the ''Jackdaw'', Roberts' ship ''[[Royal Fortune]]'', and a Spanish fleet, Kenway managed to kill Roberts and retrieve the Observatory's [[Crystal Skulls|Crystal Skull]].<ref name="AC4"/>

The ship then carried her captain back to [[Havana]], where Edward discovered Torres was already on his way to the Observatory. He soon followed in hot pursuit, making his way through the jungle and the complex, before finally killing the [[Grand Master]]. The ''Jackdaw'' then made one final trip back to Great Inagua, where Edward finally retired from piracy, deciding to care for his newly discovered daughter [[Jennifer Scott]].<ref name="AC4"/>

In 1722, Edward, Jennifer, and the crew left Great Inagua and sailed the ''Jackdaw'' to [[Bristol]] in the [[United Kingdom]], stopping on the island of Azores along the way. Near the Bristol Channel, the black flag of the ''Jackdaw'' was bought down, folded and placed carefully inside a chest in the captain's cabin. The Jackdaw then flew a Red Ensign to gain permission to dock in Bristol.<ref name="BF Novel"/>

Two days later, Edward used the ''Jackdaw'' as an auxiliary when he was about to kill [[Matthew Hague]]. The former pirate imprisoned Hague in the captain's cabin of his ship, the ''[[Charlotte (ship)|Charlotte]]'', after which the ''Jackdaw''’s crew tossed Edward barrels of tar which he could use to set alight Hague's ship. However, Edward was interrupted by Sir [[Robert Walpole]], who wanted to make peace between the Assassin and the Templar. The pair came to an agreement, with Edward releasing Hague and Walpole giving a pardon and small properties to the pirates.<ref name="BF Novel"/>

Soon after, Edward donated the ''Jackdaw'' to the Assassin Brotherhood,<ref>[https://twitter.com/DarbyMcDevitt/status/556329999792631808 Darby McDevitt's Twitter]</ref> though he kept her wheel in the basement hidden below his [[Kenway Mansion|mansion]] in [[London]] and it was used as part of a mechanism for opening a secret exit.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]''</ref> It is unknown what happened to the rest of ''Jackdaw'' in the intervening years, but at some point prior to 1735, the brig returned to the West Indies and sank off the coast of Hispaniola due to unknown circumstances. Its figurehead was later recovered from the wreckage by Adéwalé.<ref name="FC">''Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - [[Freedom Cry]]''</ref>

==Schematics==
[[File:Diving For Medicines 3.png|thumb|250px|Edward using the ship's diving bell]]
The ''Jackdaw'' was 60 meters long from her stern to the tip of her bowsprit, 48.5 meters high, had a width of 11.9 meters, and also had twenty-six sails. Accompanying this, the ''Jackdaw'' was armed with forty-six {{Wiki|Broadside|broadside cannons}}, four chaser cannons, and two {{Wiki|swivel gun}}s. Further, she could hold 160 [[Naval mines|fire barrels]], deployed four at a time, 25 volleys of {{Wiki|heated shot}}, and 20 mortar rounds, and was equipped with an iron-plated {{Wiki|naval ram}}. Besides her weaponry, she could also hold a maximum of 2,000 pieces of each type of cargo; sugar, [[rum]], cloth, wood, and metal.<ref name="AC4"/>

At her strongest, the ''Jackdaw'' possessed a sizable amount of iron-plating reinforcement across her hull, which provided ample protection in combat against a number of [[Man O' War|Men O' War]]. The brig was able to disable and destroy any type of ship, given the proper strategy in battle.<ref name="AC4"/>

She was also equipped with a {{Wiki|diving bell}} for exploration of various underwater wrecks, as well as a whaling rowboat and harpoons, which allowed Edward to [[Hunting|hunt]] for local sea life. Her masts featured pedal-activated lifts and hooks to allow for both ascension and descent. The ''Jackdaw'' also had cleverly placed swinging ropes secured both on deck and in the cross-masts, which were used by the crew to swing from one ship to another during boarding, and to quickly leap off the ship into the ocean or onto land.<ref name="AC4"/>

==Notable conflicts==
[[File:Trust is Earned 2.png|thumb|250px|left|The ''Jackdaw'' engaging Portuguese ships]]
While the ''Jackdaw'' did not participate in any major historical battles of the era, she still had more than her fair share of legendary combat. Notable skirmishes, such as the battle which took Blackbeard's life near [[Ocracoke]], the conflict with Hornigold's ship, the ''Benjamin'', and the later conflict off the coast of Príncipe – in which Bartholomew Roberts was killed – were fought on the ''Jackdaw'''s decks.<ref name="AC4"/>

The ship was a formidable raider in the Caribbean, as it single-handedly outgunned and destroyed all of the naval forts around the Caribbean over time, and took down many ships, from gunboats to Men O' War, including the five legendary ships that roamed the Caribbean Sea: ''[[El Impoluto]]'', the twin ships [[HMS Fearless|HMS ''Fearless'']] and ''[[Royal Sovereign]]'', ''[[La Dama Negra]]'', and [[HMS Prince|HMS ''Prince'']].<ref name="AC4"/>

==Crew==
*Edward Kenway - Captain (30 July 1715 – 23 November 1718, 1719 – 1723)
*Jack Rackham - Captain (23 November 1718 – c. 23 January 1719)
*Adéwalé - Quartermaster (1715 – 1721)
*Anne Bonny - Quartermaster (1721 – 1722)
*[[Hanley]] - Quartermaster (1722)<ref name="BF Novel">''[[Assassin's Creed: Black Flag]]''</ref>
*[[Birtwistle]] - Coxswain (c. 1722)<ref name="BF Novel"/>
*Numerous unnamed pirates

==Trivia==
*When the ''Jackdaw'' was owned by the [[Spanish Navy]], it was the only military-class ship with swivel guns and fire barrels, and also to have cannons on the main deck.
*Like many other references to the Assassin Order involving avians, a {{Wiki|Western Jackdaw|jackdaw}} is a small, black bird belonging to the crow family. Coincidentally, the color of the bird's feathers themselves could also be a reference to piracy often being symbolized by black.
**Jackdaw are prominently featured in both [[Greece|Greek]] and Welsh folklore as creatures of extreme vanity and thieves of anything shiny, as well as acting as omens of death and calamity. In ''The Vain Jackdaw'', a jackdaw sought to become king of the birds by adorning himself with the feathers of other birds. Such tales are great illustrations of the motivations attributed to pirates like Edward Kenway.
*[[Darby McDevitt]] mentioned the ''Jackdaw'''s name was also a reference to the fable of [http://www.bbc.co.uk/schoolradio/subjects/english/aesops_fables/25-32/eagle_and_jackdaw the Eagle and the Jackdaw], which is recited during the "[[Delirium]]" memory.
*The former name of the ship, ''El Dorado'', is Spanish for "the gilded one; the golden".
*In the captain's cabin, there was a statue of a vulture near the ''Jackdaw'''s rear window. There was also a bust of an unknown man in the right corner. Other cabin decorations included several flags, lanterns, a desk, and some chairs, along with a miniature model of the ship and a tailor's mannequin.
*The ''Jackdaw'' initially flew a plain black flag, then a generic pirate flag for most of its time under Kenway's command. After Edward [[...Everything Is Permitted|defended the Assassins]] from a Spanish raid, the flag changed to include the [[Assassin insignia]] around the skull.
*At elite level, most of the ''Jackdaw'''s equipment, including the swivel guns, broadside, and mortars, were plated gold. The elite hull upgrade also included liberal gold and iron plating on the ship's hull and deck.
*After defeating all legendary ships, the ''Jackdaw'' gained a charge attack, allowing her to inflict greater damage on an enemy ship.
*The ''Jackdaw''<nowiki/>'s crew was composed of mixed races and ethnicities. Sailors that joined Edward hailed from a variety of places, including Britain, Spain, [[Italy]], [[Germany]], and several countries in [[Africa]], among others.
*The ''Jackdaw''<nowiki/>'s sail positioning did not extend horizontally as far as the other brigs encountered in the West Indies, resembling the positioning of a [[frigate]] more closely.
*The ''Jackdaw'' and the ''Aquila'' feature cannons on the top deck, even though placing them there in reality would likely cause a ship to sink. The cannons would also be trip hazards, as the top deck is meant for sailing purposes.
**It was decided to overlook this inconsistency in order to add to the sense of progression when upgrading the ''Jackdaw'', and to make it easier for players to know which cannons were being fired.<ref>[http://blog.ubi.com/assassins-creed-iv-black-flag-historical-accuracy-vs-gameplay/ ''Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag'' – Historical Accuracy vs. Gameplay]</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery captionalign="center" position="center" spacing="small" widths="180">
AC4 - Concept Art - Ship.jpg|Concept art of the ''Jackdaw''
This Tyro Captain 3.png|The ''Jackdaw'' sailing the Caribbean
A Single Madman 1.png|Edward rallying his crew
The Forts 2.png|The ''Jackdaw'' engaging a fort's defenses
Do Not Go Gently 12.png|The ''Jackdaw'' escaping the attack on Ocracoke
AC4 Jackdaw Wreck.png|The ''Jackdaw'''s wreck
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{AC4}}
[[Category:Brigs]]
[[Category:Spanish Navy warships]]
[[Category:Pirate ships]]
[[Category:Assassin ships]]
[[Category:Ships]]

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Jackdaw