Aquila

The Aquila was an Assassin brig that served as the flagship for the Colonial Brotherhood's burgeoning fleet throughout the latter half of the eighteenth century.
Constructed by the Parisian Brotherhood in 1749, it was a highly exceptional brig for its time, boasting 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 naval captain and 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 privateer contracts. Crucially, the Aquila participated in the Battle of the Chesapeake where it was instrumental in the French victory.
==History==
===Construction and early history===
In 1748, the Colonial 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 in Stockholm's dockyard with the funding of King George II of England. Thus, the Swedish Assassins could not accept, since the dockyard was full of Templar agents, and instead recommended that the French Assassins construct the ship.Assassin's Creed: Rogue – 
Later that year, Achilles asked Gaspar Velasquez, a 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 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.Assassin's Creed: The Essential Guide
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 had been recruited into the Order and appointed first mate of the Aquila.
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.Assassin's Creed III – 
===Near-Destruction===
In 1754, by which point she had become the Assassin fleet's flagship, the Assassins spread the word that the Aquila had been destroyed after suffering heavy damage in a storm while pursuing the Providence, which was transporting the Templar Grand Master Haytham Kenway.Assassin's Creed III – Journey to the New World 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 the ship avoiding major harbors and by the exceptional sailing ability of her acting captain, Robert Faulkner.
Eventually, the Templars uncovered the fact that the Aquila had not been destroyed and, in 1768, three 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.Assassin's Creed III – Training Begins Coincidentally, he had invited lumberjacks Terry and Godfrey to live on the Homestead, so the Aquila had the resources necessary for repairs.Assassin's Creed III – River Rescue
===Rebuilding and flagship of the Colonial Brotherhood===
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 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 British gunboats and a frigate.Assassin's Creed III – The Hard Way
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.
Privateers and English frigates were terrorizing the coast, and the Aquilas 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. 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.
The ship also served as transport for her captain when Connor sought out Captain William Kidd's hidden treasure 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.
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.
The Welcome was not her only prey—Nicholas Biddle had been raiding Martha's Vineyard in the USS Randolph. Issues first arose when privateer frigates threatened merchant vessels near the Vineyard, and the Aquila successfully found and defeated their fort headquarters. 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.
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. The Aquila proved the hardier ship compared to the larger Randolph; Connor's superior seamanship and the Aquilas 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.
When the Battle of Chesapeake Bay began, General Marquis de Lafayette requested the Aquila give support in the battle. The French Admiral de Grasse believed that he would receive a large fleet and experienced captains, but instead he received only the Aquila and her captain. 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.
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 Aquilas 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.
Connor also loaned the Aquila to his apprentices for various contracted missions. The ship was present at the in 1775, the of 1778, and also aided Caesar Rodney in holding control of the .
==Alternate timeline==
In an alternate timeline created by an 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. However, Ratonhnhaké:ton eventually freed Franklin from Washington's influence and suggested acquiring the Aquila to reach Washington's palace in 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.Assassin's Creed III – The Tyranny of King Washington: The Betrayal
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.Assassin's Creed III – The Tyranny of King Washington: The Redemption
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. The alternate timeline was erased after Ratonhnhaké:ton was able to defeat King Washington in the vision.
==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
==Notable conflicts==
During the American Revolution, the Aquila sunk and destroyed several ships under the command of the Templars, privateers, and the Royal Navy.  
*Dartmoor sunk during a skirmish along with her fleet
*Greyhound sunk during a skirmish along with her fleet
*Leviathan sunk while in pursuit of a Templar emissary
*Orpheus sunk during a skirmish along with her fleet
*Prospector sunk during a skirmish
*Welcome captured while in pursuit of Benjamin Church
*Randolph blown up while in pursuit of Nicholas Biddle
*Saint James sunk during a skirmish
*Somerset sunk during a skirmish
*Windermere sunk during a skirmish
==Armaments==
Although relatively well built, even when initially repaired by Connor, the Aquila underwent several major improvements during his captaincy. In addition to the warship's standard and swivel guns, the Aquila was eventually upgraded to include several more projectile types: to destroy a ship's sails, disabling them; to target the crew; and to start fires among the hull.
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. 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.
==Trivia==
*"Aquila" is Latin and Italian for '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 constellation, with its brightest star known as "", the namesake of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad.
*Prior to Assassin's Creed IIIs release, Mission Director Philippe Bergeron stated in interview that Connor would be able to freeroam the seas aboard the Aquila between missions. However, this was not possible in the final version of the game. 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 insignias.
*By the number of guns the Aquila would be considered a ship-of-the-line. While not as massive as a first- or second-rate ships, third-rate and fourth-rate ships were considered to possess the ideal balance of speed and firepower for a warship.
*In order to show how advanced the upgrades are, the Aquila adds cannons on the top deck, something usually never done on ships because it can be a problem while maneuvering the sails. The Jackdaw and the Morrigan do the same.
*The Aquila typically flew the British flag, even during the Battle of the Chesapeake when she fought alongside French ships.
*The Aquilas sails, 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=
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 Aquilas 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 Aquilas 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
|-|Screenshots=
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
</tabber>
==Appearances==
*Assassin's Creed III 
**The Tyranny of King Washington: The Betrayal
**The Tyranny of King Washington: The Redemption
*Assassin's Creed: Rogue 
==References==
de:Aquila
es:Aquila
fr:Aquila
hu:Aquila
it:Aquila
nl:Aquila
pl:Aquila
pt-br:Aquila
ru:Аквила
zh:天鹰号
Category:Assassin ships
Category:Privateer ships
Category:Brigs
Category:Ships