Man O' War
| This article is about the ship class. You may be looking for the memory of a similar name. |
A Man O' War (plural: Men O' War) was a type of large warship operated by, among others, the British, French, Spanish and Portuguese navies from the 16th to the 19th centuries. The term was not a strict naval classification like frigate, brig, or schooner, and was instead casual terminology used for any grand, imposing ships built for warfare, boasting multiple gun decks, and crewed by heavily armed professional soldiers. Most 18th century Men O' War were properly classified as ship of the line that functioned as fleets' flagships due to their tremendous firepower and durability.[1]
History
Golden Age of Piracy
West Indies
During the Golden Age of Piracy in the early 18th century, the Man O' War was among the most well-armed class of warship in operation throughout the Caribbean. Each ship of the class bore three masts, and was capable of fielding up to a hundred guns over three decks; on top of this, they were fitted with mortars, chain-shot, heavy shot and fire barrels, and the sheer amount of material used in their construction made them extremely robust. However, despite all of these major advantages, Men O' War possessed a major weakness in terms of their speed. As they were very slow, a well-armed, smaller ship could outmaneuver their broadsides and still land hits to destroy them.[2]
One of the few pirate Men O' War was Bartholomew Roberts' Royal Fortune, which had originally belonged to the Portuguese Navy before Roberts, his crew, and Edward Kenway worked together to steal it. In addition to its side and bow artillery, the ship was also outfitted with stern cannons, ensuring that it could return fire from any direction.[3]
To mark them out from each other, British Men O' War typically had yellow and black painted hulls, while Spanish ones had a reddish-brown coloration. Although not as common, pirate hunter Men O' War also existed and were distinguished by their red and black hulls and red sails.[2]
Southeast Asia
Men O' War also operated in other regions of the world, such as the South China Sea. In 1725, the crews of the Fenghuang and a Dutch East India Company ship captained by Jan van Aert were attacked by two Spanish Men O' War near the Philippines, forcing them to surrender and head to Manila to be arrested by the Spanish authorities.[4]
Several Men O' War also formed part of the British East India Company fleet commanded by the Templar Grand Master Alan Jacob.[5] However, most of them were sunk, alongside the rest of the Company fleet, during a naval clash near the coast of Indochina, where they had formed a blockade in an ultimately futile attempt to prevent the Zhang Wei Union from reaching the mainland.[6]
The Union's fleet itself counted several Men O' War among its numbers, which belonged to either the Dutch East India Company or the pirates recruited by Edward Kenway in Batavia.[7]
Seven Year's War
During the Seven Years' War between Britain and France, the Templar Shay Cormac faced numerous Men O' War in the North Atlantic with his ship, the Morrigan. Most notably, Shay fought against French and Assassin warships, due to the Templars being allied with the British during the war.[8]
In stark contrast to their population in the North Atlantic, Men O' War were extremely uncommon in the River Valley, as the waters were too shallow for a ship of that size. Near the end of the war, though, the French managed to get a Man O' War into the River Valley, using its mortars to bolster their firepower in the region.[8]
James Cook captained the Man O' War HMS Pembroke during this time, and Shay briefly served as its helmsman in the Siege of Louisbourg, leading the British fleet to victory against the French.[9]
Like the early 18th century, most Men O' War had specific color schemes based on their allegiance. British Men O' War retained their previous colors, while French Men O' War had blue and white painted hulls with white sails, and Assassin Men O' War had brown hulls and orange sails.[8]
American Revolution
In the years surrounding the American Revolutionary War, the Assassin Ratonhnhaké:ton faced many Men O' War along the East Coast with his ship, the Aquila, and was able to sink them all, making the trade routes along the coast safer. These Men O' War possessed a significant weakness to chain-shots, which could destroy their masts and cripple them, making them an easier target.[10]
Legendary ships
- Main article: Legendary ship
During the early 18th century, there were five "legendary" Men O' War that roamed the Caribbean, each with their unique naval warfare styles and construction. Three of them belonged to the Royal Navy while two sailed under the Spanish Navy. These five ships were significantly more well-armed, faster, and better armored than any other Men O' War in the Caribbean, and provided a significantly greater challenge to any would-be attacker. Their distinguishing characteristics made them notorious throughout the Caribbean, and they were feared by servicemen and pirates alike. Despite their reputations, the pirate Edward Kenway attacked and sank them with his ship Jackdaw, splitting their war chests of gold each worth about 20,000 reales amongst his crew.[2]
Another pirate, Alonzo Batilla, also encountered several legendary ships as he traveled across the West Indies. Each ship contained a great sum of coins, and occasionally a lost file could be found after a ship had been sunk.[11]
Years later, around the time of the Seven Years' War, seven more of these ships roamed the Atlantic Ocean, all equipped with heavy armaments and supported by other ships. The most fearsome of these ships was the Assassins navy's flagship Storm Fortress, but Shay Cormac defeated her and the other five ships using the Morrigan.[8]
Notable Men O' War
Legendary ships
- Encountered by Edward Kenway:
- Encountered by Alonzo Batilla:
- Encountered by Shay Cormac:
Behind the scenes
In the Assassin's Creed III memory "Biddle's Hideout", Richard Clutterbuck erroneously referred to the plural of Man O' War as "Man O' Wars", as opposed to the correct term "Men O' War".
In Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and Assassin's Creed: Rogue, all enemy ships are given individual levels based on their size, number of cannons, and combat difficulty. A regular Man O' War can be either level 36, 49, or 60, while legendary ships are level 75, with the sole exception of Storm Fortress, which is level 99.
In Black Flag, British Men O' War are anachronistically painted in a color scheme reminiscent of Admiral Horatio Nelson's flagship HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. HMS Victory remains a registered Royal Navy vessel and is kept in permanent dry dock in Portsmouth, where she remains the only surviving ship of her class in the world.
Once players beat Rogue's main story, the Assassin-controlled level 60 Men O' War no longer spawn in the open sea due to the Colonial Brotherhood having been destroyed. Players still wishing to recruit such high-tier ships into Shay's fleet must replay the memory "Cold Fire" and sail straight to Anticosti, where a level 60 Man O' War and level 29 frigate will spawn. Players must act quickly, as these ships have a tendency to promptly despawn unless the Morrigan does damages them as soon as they are visible.
Gallery
-
The Spanish Man O' War El Arca del Maestro -
A pirate hunter Man O' War -
Two Spanish Men O' War -
Various pirate Men O' War
Appearances
- Assassin's Creed III (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
- Assassin's Creed: Pirates
- Assassin's Creed: Rogue
- Assassin's Creed: Rebellion – Dead Men's Gold
- Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple
References
- ↑ Man-of-war
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
- ↑ Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag – Black Bart's Gambit
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 50
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 109
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 116
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 111
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Assassin's Creed: Rogue
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Rogue – Men o' War
- ↑ Assassin's Creed III
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Pirates
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||