Editing Aquila

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{{Quote|Who is she? Why the ''Aquila'', boy! The Ghost of the North Seas! ... She's a ship, boy, and make no mistake about it!|Robert Faulkner to Connor regarding the ''Aquila'', 1770.|Assassin's Creed III}}
[[File:AC3 Aquila Homestead Bay.png|250px|thumb|The ''Aquila'' in the bay of Davenport Homestead]]
The '''''Aquila''''' was an [[Assassins|Assassin]] [[frigate]] that served as as the flagship for the [[Colonial Brotherhood of Assassins|Colonial Brotherhood]]'s burgeoning fleet throughout the latter half of the eighteenth century. Constructed by the [[Parisian Brotherhood of Assassins|Parisian Brotherhood]] from 1748 to 1749, it was a highly exceptional [[brig]] for its time, hosting more firepower than its size would suggest, yet being swifter than any [[schooner]]. With the Assassin sailor [[Robert Faulkner]] at the helm, it came to be feared as the '''Ghost of the North Seas''' for its uncanny ability to strike from the cover of fog before disappearing. 

During the [[American Revolutionary War]], the vessel was captained by the Colonial Assassin [[Ratonhnhaké:ton]], with Robert Faulkner as his first mate. Under their command, the ''Aquila'' helped to eliminate [[Continental Army]] captain and [[Templars|Templar]] [[Nicholas Biddle]], who had been raiding locations along the coast. The pair also patrolled several trade routes along the eastern seaboard and the [[Caribbean Sea]], engaging in multiple [[Privateers|privateer]] contracts. Crucially, the ''Aquila'' participated in the [[Battle of the Chesapeake]] where it was instrumental in the [[France|French]] victory.<ref name="AC3">''[[Assassin's Creed III]]''</ref>

==History==
{{Quote|She's still the fastest in the Atlantic – sure she needs some attention... minor things mostly but with a little affection she'll fly again.|Robert Faulkner discussing the repairs needed on the ''Aquila'', 1770.|Assassin's Creed III}}
In 1748, the Colonial Assassin [[Mentor]] [[Achilles Davenport]] asked the Swedish Brotherhood to build a brig to fight the Templars across the [[Atlantic Ocean]]. At that time however, King Frederik I of [[Sweden]] was building his navy with the funding of [[George II of Great Britain|George II of England]] in [[Stockholm]]'s dockyard. Thus, the Swedish Assassins could not accept comply, since the dockyard was full of Templar agents, and instead recommended that the [[French Assassins]] construct the ship.<ref name="ACRG">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]''</ref>

Later that year, Achilles asked [[Gaspar Velasquez]], a [[Spain|Spanish]] shipbuilder and ally to the Assassin Order, to construct the ship. Although Gaspar soon began working on the blueprints for the brig, the threat of the [[British Rite of the Templar Order|British Templars]] meant that he was unable to fully finish the project. The plans were then sent directly to the French [[Assassin Council]]. In 1749, the ship was completed in [[Brest]] and subsequently sent to the Colonies to serve the Colonial Brotherhood.<ref name="ACRG" />

Around 1750, Achilles served as captain of the ''Aquila'', where in the same year he rescued the veteran sailor Robert Faulkner. Faulkner was grateful for his aid and, with the help of [[Louis-Joseph Gaultier, Chevalier de la Vérendrye]], offered his services in creating a shipping route designed to connect the Colonial Brotherhood with the European branches of the Order. By 1753, Faulkner was recruited into the Order and appointed first mate of the ''Aquila''.<ref name="ACRG" />

While small in design, the ''Aquila'' was a fast ship for its size, capable of twelve knots in good wind, according to Faulkner, making her one of the fastest in her region of service. Armed with heavy [[cannons]] and accurate swivel guns, the ''Aquila'' had a versatile and powerful arsenal that made her a force to be reckoned with.<ref name="AC3" />

[[File:AC3 Aquila Wreck.png|thumb|250px|The destroyed ''Aquila'' in the Davenport Homestead's harbor]]
In 1754, by which point she had become the flagship of the Assassin fleet, the Assassins spread the word that the ''Aquila'' had been destroyed after suffering heavy damage pursuing the ''[[Providence]]'', which was transporting the Templar [[Grand Master]] [[Haytham Kenway]], through a storm. In reality, she had only sustained minor damage and was soon refitted for combat.<ref name="AC3" />

Over the next decade, the ''Aquila'' plagued the Templar fleets, earning herself the moniker of "''Ghost of the North Seas''", an illusion spread both by the ship avoiding major harbors and by the exceptional sailing ability of her acting captain, Robert Faulkner.<ref name="AC3" />

Eventually, the Templars uncovered the fact that the ''Aquila'' had not been destroyed and, in 1768, three [[Royal Navy|British frigates]] ambushed the ship, nearly destroying it. Both the ''Aquila'' and Faulkner survived and managed to escape to the [[Davenport Homestead]], where they would remain until the arrival of the Assassin-in-training Connor, who elected to defray the cost of the vessel's repairs. Coincidentally, he had invited lumberjacks [[Terry]] and [[Godfrey]] to live on the Homestead, so the ''Aquila'' had the resources necessary for repairs.<ref name="AC3" />

After six months, Connor and Faulkner found a crew for the ''Aquila'' and sailed to [[Martha's Vineyard]] in search of cannons and officers. Faulkner recruited some of his old shipmates, [[David Clutterbuck|David]] and [[Richard Clutterbuck]], as gunnery officers, and tutored Connor in sailing the ''Aquila'' as captain. After practicing to fire the cannons at an old shipwreck, the ''Aquila'' saw her first fight in years against a patrol of [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Gunboat|gunboats]] and a [[frigate]].<ref name="AC3" />

[[File:ACIII-Frenchinvolvement 9.png|thumb|left|250px|Connor and Faulkner on deck]]
Following this battle, Connor used the ''Aquila'' to defend trade routes along the Colonial seaboard and the Caribbean. The ''Aquila'' was called upon to defend a number of trading vessels, such as the ''[[Henderson]]'' and ''[[Independence]]'', securing trade routes for the colonists and reducing the risk for merchants.<ref name="AC3" />

Privateers and English frigates were terrorizing the coast, and the ''Aquila''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s patrols put her in a premier position to eliminate the threats. Gunboats and frigates were among the privateers' favored ships, though they occasionally had a few larger ships to rival the ''Aquila'', such as the ''Dartmoor'', ''[[Saint James]]'', and ''[[Prospector]]''.<ref name="AC3" />

While these battles were relatively brief, their effects were far-reaching. Civilian traders were affected by the patrols of the ''Aquila'' and her crew, as they were less likely to lose goods to the raiders. This meant that prices to trade goods were lowered across the Colonies, making the ''Aquila'' not only a military force but an indirect economic one as well.<ref name="AC3" />

[[File:ACIII-Bitterend 7.png|thumb|250px|Connor and Haytham hunting the ''Welcome'']]
The ship also served as transport for her captain when Connor sought out the [[Shards of Eden|hidden treasure]] of Captain [[William Kidd]] and traveled in pursuit of Templars. Often, this meant the ''Aquila'' waited offshore while Connor went ashore in a rowboat to explore the maps [[Peg Leg]] had given him in exchange for [[trinkets]].<ref name="AC3" />

These locales varied greatly, from a jungle beach to the frigid north. However, on some occasions, the ''Aquila'' was directly used in hunting a Templar. Haytham Kenway and Connor, during their brief armistice, used the ''Aquila'' in the hunt for [[Benjamin Church]] and the ''[[Welcome]]'' in the Caribbean Sea, eventually boarding the ship, retrieving her stolen cargo for the [[Patriots]] at [[Valley Forge]], and killing her passenger. In the process, the ''Aquila'' had decimated the ''Welcome'' and her crew, proving to be a resounding victory for her captain.<ref name="AC3" />

[[File:ACIII-Biddlehideout 3.png|left|250px|thumb|The ''Aquila'' firing at a Man-of-War under Biddle's command]]
The ''Welcome'' was not her only prey – Nicholas Biddle had been raiding Martha's Vineyard in the [[USS Randolph|USS ''Randolph'']]. Issues first arose when privateer frigates threatened merchant vessels near the Vineyard, and the ''Aquila'' successfully found and defeated their [[Forts|fort]] headquarters.<ref name="AC3" />

When another merchant vessel was threatened, the ''Randolph'' was spotted leading the privateers, though she escaped in the cover of a storm. For several years thereafter between 1776 and 1778, Connor and the ''Aquila'' hunted Biddle and the ''Randolph'', thought to be the party responsible for inciting the privateers to raid the Vineyard and the ships visiting it.<ref name="AC3" />

The ship's hunt was delayed by needing to help ''[[La Belladonna]]'', a vessel vital to the war effort, and other constraints on her captain's time. Eventually, however, in 1778, Connor and the ''Aquila'' managed to corner the ''Randolph''.<ref name="AC3" />

The ''Aquila'' proved the hardier ship compared to the larger ''Randolph''; Connor's superior seamanship and the ''Aquila''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s firepower allowed her and her captain to disable the ''Randolph'', kill her captain, and scuttle her, securing the Vineyard and stopping the Templars from encouraging further attacks. With Biddle out of the way, the seaboard was safe once more for neutral traders to conduct business with the Colonies.<ref name="AC3" />

[[File:ACIII-BattleofChesapeake 16.png|250px|thumb|The ''Aquila'' sailing in the battle at the Chesapeake]]
When the [[Battle of the Chesapeake|Battle of Chesapeake Bay]] began, General [[Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette|Marquis de Lafayette]] requested the ''Aquila'' give support in the battle. The French [[François-Joseph Paul de Grasse|Admiral de Grasse]] believed that he would receive a large fleet and experienced captains, but instead he received only the ''Aquila'' and her captain.<ref name="AC3" />

While irritated at the concept, de Grasse gave Connor two frigates for assistance, the ''Marsellois'' and the ''Saint Espirit'', and asked them to engage the encroaching fleet. During the battle, the trio of ships sank several gunboats and at least four English frigates, before the ''Marsellois'' was destroyed by an English vessel midway through the battle.<ref name="AC3" />

Once all of the English frigates had been destroyed, a [[Man O' War]] sailed into the battle and sank the ''Saint Espirit'', before she managed to disable the ''Aquila''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s guns. Due to lacking any other means of attack, Connor decided to destroy the Man O' War by ramming her, getting on board in personal combat, and killing her captain. Ultimately proving successful, the battle ended with the French as the victors.<ref name="AC3" />

Connor also loaned the ''Aquila'' to his [[Assassin apprentices|apprentices]] for various [[Contracts (Colonial Assassins)|contracted missions]]. The ship was present at the {{Wiki|Battle of Gloucester (1775)|Battle of Gloucester}} in 1775 and the {{Wiki|Frederica naval action}} of 1778, and she also aided [[Caesar Rodney]] in holding control of the {{Wiki|Delaware River}}.<ref name="AC3" />

==Alternate timeline==
[[File:Escape to New York 10.png|thumb|left|250px|The ''Aquila'' approaching New York]]
In an alternate timeline created by an [[Apple of Eden 3|Apple of Eden]], the ''Aquila'' and Faulkner were located in [[Boston]]. When [[George Washington]] crowned himself the King of the [[United States]], [[Benjamin Franklin]] had the ship confiscated.<ref name="Betrayal">''[[The Tyranny of King Washington: The Betrayal]]''</ref>

However, Franklin was eventually freed from Washington's influence by Ratonhnhaké:ton, and suggested acquiring the ''Aquila'' to reach Washington's [[New York Pyramid|palace]] in [[New York City|New York]]. Franklin and the Assassin struck a bargain with Faulkner, having him gather a crew while Ratonhnhaké:ton untied the ship's moorings and assassinated the snipers guarding her. Faulkner's crew stormed the docks and swam to the ''Aquila'', which had gone adrift. Ratonhnhaké:ton held off the soldiers firing on the sailors, and eventually climbed on board with [[Kanen'tó:kon]] to sail for New York.<ref name="Betrayal" />

[[File:Dark Waters 8.png|thumb|250px|The ''Aquila'' ramming an American Man O' War]]
During the approach, the ''Aquila'' was attacked by Washington's fleet. Ratonhnhaké:ton took the wheel and destroyed the attackers before taking their flags to sail into the lower bay unimpeded. The ''Aquila'' then navigated through the [[naval mines]] and launched a surprise attack on the remaining ships.<ref name="Redemption">''[[The Tyranny of King Washington: The Redemption]]''</ref>

However, the ship's ammunition was depleted shortly after, with more of the King's ships on their way. Ratonhnhaké:ton ordered everyone to jump overboard as he rammed the Man-O'-War in the lower bay, providing distraction for the others, but also destroying the ''Aquila'' in the process.<ref name="Redemption" />

==Crew==
*Robert Faulkner – First mate (1753 – 1754, 1770 – ?), Acting captain (1754 – 1768)
*Ratonhnhaké:ton – Captain (1770 – ?)
*David Clutterbuck – Gunnery officer (1773 – ?)
*Richard Clutterbuck – Gunnery officer (1773 – ?)
*Numerous unnamed sailors

==Armaments==
{{Quote|We've fitted her with a modest amount of guns to start but rest assured there's ample room to add more should you feel the need.|Robert Faulkner on the ''Aquila'''s first fitting under Connor, 1773.|Assassin's Creed III}}
[[File:ACIII-Chase 6.png|thumb|250px|left|The ''Aquila'' firing heated shot upon a fort]]
Although relatively well built, even when initially repaired by Connor, the ''Aquila'' underwent several major improvements during his captaincy.<ref name="AC3" />

In addition to the warship's standard {{Wiki|round shot}} and {{Wiki|swivel gun}}s, the ''Aquila'' was eventually upgraded to include several more projectile types: {{Wiki|chain-shot}} to destroy a ship's sails, disabling them; {{Wiki|grapeshot}} to target the crew; and {{Wiki|heated shot}} to start fires among the hull.<ref name="AC3" />

The ''Aquila'' also received improvements in her hull strength via reinforcements, an improved rudder for sharper turns, and the addition of a naval ram. Fully upgraded, the ''Aquila'' was armed with 60 main cannons, thirty on each side.<ref name="AC3" />

This would have made her equivalent in firepower to a third-rate ship of the line, which meant that she would have been a smaller ship of the line but larger than a frigate. Most contemporary sixty-gun ships carried those guns on only two decks; however, the ''Aquila'' carried them on two dedicated gun decks with a few cannons and the swivel guns also present on the weather deck.<ref name="AC3" />

==Trivia==
*Aquila is Latin and Italian for "[[Eagles|eagle]]", and it was a reference to the eagle motif of the Assassins.
**Continuing the eagle theme, the ''Aquila'' had an eagle-shaped figurehead.
**"Aquila" is also the name of a {{Wiki|Aquila (constellation)|constellation}}, with its brightest star known as "{{Wiki|Altair}}", the namesake of [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]].
*In an interview, Mission Director [[Philippe Bergeron]] stated that Connor could freeroam the seas with the ship between missions. However, this was not possible in the final version of ''[[Assassin's Creed III]]''. Such a feat would later be possible in ''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' and ''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]''.
*The ''Aquila'' had lifts attached to her central mast, with the pulley handles shaped like [[Assassin insignia]]s.
*By the number of guns the ''Aquila'' would be considered a {{Wiki|third-rate}} ship-of-the-line. While not as massive as a first-rate or second-rate, the third-rate ships were considered to be the ideal balance in sailing warships in terms of speed and firepower. This would also mean that she had a crew complement between three and five hundred men.
*The ''Aquila'' typically flew the British flag, even during the Battle of the Chesapeake when she fought alongside French ships.
*The ''Aquila''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s wheel and figurehead could be obtained by Connor's grandfather, [[Edward Kenway]], during his time of [[piracy]] in the early 18th century, and the Templar [[Shay Cormac]], during the [[Seven Years' War]].

==Gallery==
<tabber>
Development=
<gallery captionalign="center" position="center" spacing="small" widths="180">
AC3 naval ships.jpg|Naval battle concept art
Naval Battle concept illustration by Max Qin.jpg|Naval battle concept art
Aquila Cannons.jpg|Concept art of ''Aquila'''s cannons firing
AC3 CA SP 29 Naval Mines.jpg|Concept art of the ''Aquila'' navigating through naval mines
AC3 CA SP 30 Naval TropicalStorm.jpg|Concept art of the ''Aquila'' navigating a tropical storm
AC3 CA SP 28 Naval HidingInTheMidstOfEnemyShips(Night).jpg|Concept art of the ''Aquila'' hiding from enemy ships in the mist
Aquila Caribbeann concept.jpg|''Aquila'' Caribbean concept
AC3 CA SP 31 RescueBoat.jpg|Concept art of a rescue boat leaving the ''Aquila''
North America Stormy Day by max qin.jpg|''North America Stormy Day'' by Max Qin
Tropical Storm by max qin.jpg|''Tropical Storm'' by Max Qin
Naval Battle by max qin.jpg|''Naval Battle'' by Max Qin
The Perfect Storm by max qin.jpg|''The Perfect Storm'' by Max Qin
AC3 CA SP 27 Naval NorthAmericanLandscape.jpg|The ''Aquila'' docked off the North American coastline
Aquila passage concept.jpg|The ''Aquila'' entering a narrow passage
Aquila lower decks concept art.jpg|Concept art of the ''Aquila'''s lower decks
AC3 Render SP 22 Aquila Crew.jpg|The crew of the ''Aquila'' and a British Marine
Aquila concept model.jpg|Concept model of the ''Aquila''
Aquila Edge Artwork.png|Connor and his crew aboard the ''Aquila''
</gallery>
|-|Screenshots=
<gallery captionalign="center" position="center" spacing="small" widths="180">
Journey to the New World 20.png|The ''Aquila'' pursuing the ''Providence''
ACIII-Pavingtheway 1.png|The ''Aquila'' at sea
A Call for Help 1.png|Connor at the helm of the ''Aquila''
Henderson in Distress 2.png|Connor calling an attack on enemy vessels
AC3 Faulkner boarding sequence.png|Faulkner commanding the crew
AC3 Richard Clutterbuck boarding sequence.png|The crew preparing for battle
AC3 David Clutterbuck boarding sequence.png|The crew boarding an enemy vessel
ACIII-Bitterend 6.png|The ''Aquila'' firing several chain-shots
ACIII-BattleofChesapeake 5.png|The ''Aquila'' during the Battle of Chesapeake Bay
ACIII-Wolcott 10.png|The ''Aquila'' firing on a British fort
</gallery>
</tabber>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{AC3}}
[[Category:Assassin ships]]
[[Category:Privateer ships]]
[[Category:Brigs]]
[[Category:Ships]]