Havana's Fleet was a formidable force of twelve ships and over a thousand soldiers stationed in Havana. Its purpose was to either defend Havana from attack or to lead an offensive against Spain's enemies in the region.
History[]
Season Three[]
In his effort to civilize Nassau and bring it back into the fold of the British Empire, Governor Woodes Rogers borrows money from Spain. He promises them that he would seize Fort Nassau and return all the remains of the Urca de Lima’s gold stored in its vaults and promptly return it to Havana. Should he fail to do this, they would believe he is simply another pirate and untrustworthy. They would then launch a fleet of ten ships with 1,500 soldiers to burn Nassau to the ground. Rogers is given eight weeks to accomplish this task[1].
Max offers Rogers the gems that she exchanged her share of the gold for, but Mrs. Hudson, secretly a spy in the employ of Colonial Intelligence, reveals that Spain knows of the exchanges and demands the gems as well, for they take it as an insult. Rogers ponders accepting the money, but that would result in the fleet from Havana setting sail and razing all of Nassau. Eleanor suggests that they could fight them and defend the island, but Rogers tells her if anyone is fighting the Spanish, it won’t be them. Should they keep the gold, resulting in a Spanish attack on British forces, an act that threatens dragging the British Empire into a war, Rogers and Eleanor would be recalled to London. There, he would likely be put into a debtor’s prison, while Eleanor’s capital sentence would be reinstated. Rogers and Eleanor must find the remaining half of the gems, possessed by Jack Rackham and Anne Bonny, and send it to Havana, or face the consequences.
Charles Vane and Edward Teach take a Spanish prize that has an intelligence officer aboard. The officer burns most of the information he has, but Vane, Teach, Ellers and Reuben sort through the remains, They discover that if Rogers does not recover the cache, a fleet will be launched from Havana to burn Nassau to the ground[2].
After Rackham is captured, Rogers explains the situation with Spain to him. Rackham feigns agreement, but actually tells Anne to run away with the gems. He then reveals to Max that he hopes that the Spanish will raze Nassau, allowing for a Second Pirate Republic to be created with him remembered as its founder[3].
Season Four[]
Havana's Fleet approaches Nassau.
Woodes Rogers is able to convince Governor Raja that the pirate threat in Nassau is also a threat to Spain's interests, for they will seek to spread their slave rebellion to Cuba. Rogers asks him to avoid Fort Nassau, where all of Rogers' allies are holed up, and to burn the rest of New Providence to the ground. A fleet of twelve ships travels from Havana to Nassau, with Raja personally leading the mission[4].
Havana's Fleet opens fire.
As they approach Nassau, the flagship signals the fort to stand down, using Rogers' signals to convey that they are allies. They pass the Walrus, who is escaping them. Rogers tells Raja that the Walrus is a pirate vessel, but Raja refuses to separate his fleet, telling Rogers that he can clean up the mess once the Spanish are done. Once in position, the fleet opens fire on Nassau Town, devastating it. The soldiers then move ashore, killing whoever is left and burning many of the structures on the beach and in town, including the Guthrie Warehouse. Once ashore, Rogers, Raja and Juan Antonio Grandal plot their next move. However, a small delegation from Fort Nassau, led by Mr. Soames, Frasier and Lieutenant Utley, meet Rogers on the beach and inform him that Eleanor left the fort to make the deal with Long John Silver. Rogers frantically tries to tell Grandal to pass the order to the men that Eleanor is not to be harmed. Grandal tells him that even if that order could be given, no one would heed it, the men have been let loose.
A small force of Spanish soldiers is killed by Eleanor's Redcoats and Flint's men at the Barlow Estate. Flint takes three of the remaining Redcoats and Obi to pursue three Spanish soldiers who ran away, to prevent their returning with reinforcements. During their absence, Eleanor and Madi's guards are killed by a Spanish Soldier. In the ensuing fight, Eleanor is mortally wounded, Madi knocked unconscious and the house set on fire. Eleanor is barely able to make it outside, having been unsuccessful in rousing Madi.
Silver leads a force of roughly 60 pirates in holing up in the Underhill Estate, preferring to meet the Spanish from an entrenched position rather than disorganized, trying to make it to the Walrus, which is waiting for survivors along with the Lion off the southern coast. A force of approximately 100 Spanish soldiers assaults the estate, and are repelled by Silver's men with the help of reinforcements from Julius. The Spanish leave behind over 50 dead, having killed 30 of the pirates with minimal casualties to Julius' men. Once Flint arrives, he leads a mass retreat of all the pirates, along with all of Julius' people, to the ships waiting on the southern coast[5].
After killing and burning to their satisfaction, Raja returns to Havana, promising that the fleet will not return to Nassau[6].
Ships[]
The fleet consists of twelve ships. Eight are men of war and the other four are tall ships.
Personnel[]
The fleet is commanded by Governor Raja and is capable of carrying over 1,500 Spanish soldiers.
- Governor Raja, the fleet's commodore.
- Juan Antonio Grandal, an operative of the Casa de Contratación and an officer of the Spanish Army.
- Senior Spanish Officer, an officer of the Spanish Army.
- Spanish Soldier, Eleanor Guthrie's killer, a soldier in the Spanish Army. (deceased)
- Spanish Advisor, an advisor to Governor Raja.
Quotes[]
Eleanor: What did you promise them?
Woodes Rogers: That I would seize Fort Nassau, secure the remains of the Urca de Lima's gold stored within it, and return it to Havana. Promptly. Failure to do so would confirm for them that I am simply another pirate by another name, not to be trusted, and would result in a launch of a fleet of ten ships and soldiers numbering 1,500 to raze Nassau to the ground.
- Dialogue between Eleanor Guthrie and Woodes Rogers in XXI.
"Twelve total. Eight ships of force."- Dooley to Featherstone in XXXIV.
Trivia[]
- The fleet sent from Havana to raid Nassau during the War of the Quadruple Alliance consisted of 12 ships and 1400 soldiers in real life. However, the fleet had 3 frigates and 9 brigantines and sloops in real life rather than 8 men of war and 4 tall ships.
- The tall ships in the fleet are the same CGI model as the Walrus.