| Bay of Nassau | |
 | |
| Continent | North America |
| Location | New Providence Island, the Bahamas |
| Affiliation | Pirate Republic/British Empire |
The Bay of Nassau is a natural bay that forms the harbor of Nassau, the port of New Providence Island. The town is inhabited and ruled by the Pirate Republic, in open rebellion against the British Empire.
Geography[]
The harbor is shallow, meaning that larger vessels have to anchor farther out in deeper water. At the western end of the bay is Fort Nassau, which protects both the town and the harbor. At the eastern end is a lookout tower and a small gun battery. To the east is a channel between New Providence and Hog Island that can be sailed during high tide.
Nassau Town has a single wooden jetty, where boats from larger vessels unload their cargo and passengers. Much of the beach is taken up by the Beach Camps, the pirate shantytown between the water and the town proper.
History[]
Season One[]
After the pirates of the Walrus successfully board Parrish’s Ship, they return to Nassau. That night, John Silver and Max row a boat out to the bay where the Walrus is anchored so Silver can sneak into Flint’s cabin and see what the mysterious page he possesses actually is.[1]
After acquiring a new crew, Charles Vane takes Fort Nassau by surprise, easily overcoming Benjamin Hornigold’s garrison of 30 men. His men then turn the fort’s cannons on Hornigold’s ship, the Royal Lion, sinking it. During a parley with Eleanor Guthrie, Vane threatens to continue sinking ships in the bay unless he is left in the fort, unmolested, and is allowed to replace Hornigold in the Consortium. Worried that Vane would use his position on Flint if he returned with the prize gold from the Urca de Lima, Eleanor agrees.[2]
Season Two[]
After Charles Vane skips a Consortium meeting, Eleanor Guthrie admonishes him for doing so, as well as his failure in helping to protect their goods. Vane responds that he wanted to be responsible for protecting the bay, not protecting Captains Naft and Lawrence. As she turns to leave, Vane points out that she hasn’t yet asked whether or not he will let Flint and the Spanish gold in the bay. Vane proposes that they force Flint to give up the gold and then kill him. Eleanor insults him and then leaves.[3]
As the Walrus Crew returns to Nassau, now crewing the Spanish Man O’ War they captured, John Silver informs the crew that they will be anchoring off the Hog instead of the bay. Dooley objects, pointing out that there hasn’t even been a vote over the issue. Silver explains that Captain Hornigold protects the bay from Spanish warships from the fort, and that Flint and Dufresne thought it obvious that they had to give them warning before sailing into the bay to prevent a reactionary attack from the fort. Flint goes ashore to seek out Hornigold to ask for help in retrieving the Urca gold while Silver is to seek out supplies, but Silver points out that Hornigold and his men are in a camp on the beach. There, they learn that Vane has control of the fort. Believing Vane to be too untrustworthy and Eleanor unreliable when it comes to Vane, Flint allies his crew with Hornigold’s, promising to help him retake the fort in exchange for his help in capturing the prize gold. That night, they anchor their ship near the fort, and threaten to take it by force unless Vane leaves by sunrise the next day.[4]
After Vane sees the warship and gets Flint’s message, he learns that the ship is anchored outside the fort’s field of fire and threatens to sink the rest of the ships in the bay. Eleanor dissuades him, and offers to go to Flint to try and get him to abandon his attack, and Vane lets her go. Meanwhile, the sight of the Spanish Man O’ War shocks the citizens of Nassau.[5]
The next morning, with Vane refusing to vacate Fort Nassau, Flint and his men open fire, hammering the fort until a sizable breach is made. He then leads his men ashore, but is persuaded to temporarily hold off on the attack by Miranda Barlow.[6]
Season Three[]
After the capture of the prize gold from the Urca de Lima and the refitting of the Walrus, Flint returns to his former ship. The Spanish Man O’ War is left in the bay to serve as a floating battery.[7]
After learning of the impending arrival of Governor Woodes Rogers and his formidable force of 700 soldiers and 8 ships, Jack Rackham plans to commit the pirates of Nassau to a massive show of force, including ships defending the harbor, and men in the fort and on the beach. The other captains are reluctant, but agree when Edward Teach volunteers to lead the fleet instead of Flint, who is believed to be dead. When the British arrive, they find the Pirate Fleet assembled in a firing line at the mouth of the harbor. Captain Benjamin Hornigold, formerly one of the most respected pirate captains of New Providence, is sent by the British to read Governor Rogers' address under a flag of truce. Teach lets him pass, knowing that firing on him would cause friction in the fragile pirate alliance. At the beach, Hornigold reads the address, which promises pardons for every pirate that surrenders to the British, and a £10,000 bounty on the killer or captor of Charles Vane. The pirates on the beach surrender en masse, but the fleet and the Crew of the Colonial Dawn in the fort hold out.[8]
With the beach under the control of Rogers' loyalists, and the harbor blockaded by his fleet, Teach and Vane engineer a way for the Pirate Fleet to escape intact. That night, they sail a Fireship at the British line, forcing them to disperse and allowing the pirates to sail away unscathed.[9]
Season Four[]
Prior the Pirate Fleet’s invasion of Nassau, Governor Woodes Rogers scuttles three ships he bought in Abaco at the mouth of the harbor. Augustus Featherstone tries to send word but the messenger is intercepted by Max. The Pirate Fleet sails directly into the trap, and the bulk of the ships are grounded on the hulks, rendering them defenseless against the fort’s cannons. After facing heavy casualties, the pirates are forced to abandon ship and flee in longboats, which are further attacked by Rogers' fleet of sloops. The Revenge under the command of Edward Teach sails away in the hopes of drawing away Rogers' ships away, and succeeds in getting three of the five vessels to pursue him.[10]
After the pirates successfully retake Nassau Town, Governor Rogers enlists the aid of the Spanish in Havana led by Governor Vicente de Raja in driving the pirates out. When they approach, he signals the Fort, which is still controlled by his loyalists, to stand down, allowing the Spanish to invade and devastate the town.[11]
Quotes[]
“The fort controls the bay. The bay controls commerce.” - Charles Vane in VIII.