Aquila

He who increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow.

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The Aquila was a naval warship during the French and Indian and American Revolutionary Wars, which earned itself the nickname; "Ghost of the North Seas". During the American Revolution, the vessel was captained by the Assassin Ratonhnhaké:ton, with Robert Faulkner as his first mate.

Under their command, the Aquila helped to bring the rogue-Continental captain Nicholas Biddle, who had been raiding locations along the coast, to heel. They also patrolled several trade routes along the Eastern Seaboard and the Caribbean Sea.

History

The Aquila was constructed in Brest, France, in the year 1749, and soon became the flagship of the Assassin navy. While small in design, the Aquilaable to carry a large variety of artillery.

In 1754, after being engaged by a Templar warship, the Assassins spread the word that the Aquila had been destroyed in a storm. In reality, she had only sustained minor damage, and was soon refitted for combat. 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 her avoiding major harbors, and partially due to the exceptional sailing ability by her acting captain, Robert Faulkner.

Eventually, the Templar's uncovered the fact that the Aquila had not been destroyed and, in 1768, three British frigates ambushed, and all but destroyed the ship. Both the Aquila and Faulkner survived however, and managed to escape to the Davenport Homestead, where they would remain until the arrival of the Assassin Ratonhnhaké:ton, who had decided to pay for the vessel's repairs.

Once repaired, Ratonhnhaké:ton and Faulkner, who had found a crew for the Aquila, sailed to Martha's Vineyard in search of cannons and officers. Faulkner recruited some of his old shipmates as gunnery officers, and also tutored Ratonhnhaké:ton in how to sail the Aquila as captain. After practicing to fire the cannons at an old shipwreck, the Aquila saw its first fight in years, against a patrol of British gunboats and a frigate.

Following this, the Aquila went on to investigate an attack on Martha's Vineyard, which led to an eventual confrontation with the first Admiral of the Continental Navy; the Templar Nicholas Biddle. She also served as transport for her captain, when Ratonhnhaké:ton sought out the hidden treasure of Captain William Kidd.

Armaments

Although relatively well built, even when initially repaired by Ratonhnhaké:ton, the Aquila underwent several major improvements during his captaincy. In addition to the warships standard round shot and swivel guns, the Aquila was eventually upgraded to include several more projectile types; chain-shots to destroy a ships sails, disabling her; grapeshot to target the crew; and heated shots to start fires among the sails.

As well as being able to be upgraded with new ammunition and an additional row of cannons, the Aquila also received improvements in her hull strength and through the addition of a naval ram.

Trivia

"Aquila", the Latin word for "eagle", is a reference to the eagle motif of the Assassins.
- Continuing the eagle theme, the Aquila has an eagle shaped figurehead.
"Aquila" is also the name of a constellation, with its brightest star known as "Altaïr".
In an interview, Mission Director Philippe Bergeron stated that Connor could freeroam the seas with the ship between missions. However, this is not possible in Assassin's Creed III.