Lion
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| Vital statistics | |
| Port | Nassau |
| Owner | Woodes Rogers (former) |
| Captain | Woodes Rogers(former) Jack Rackham |
| Crew | British sailors and soldiers Jack Rackham's Crew |
| Passengers | Max Idelle |
| Status | Active |
| Type | Brigantine |
| Weapons | 10 cannons |
| Battles | Invasion of Nassau Boarding of the Lion Battle at Skeleton Island |
| Affiliation | Woodes Rogers' Second Fleet (formerly) Pirates |
| First appearance | XXX. |
The Lion was a ship originally captained by Woodes Rogers, serving in his campaign that brought down the notorious pirate Edward Teach. However, when Rogers departed with the captured pirate ship Revenge, the imprisoned pirates aboard the Lion raised a mutiny, taking over the ship.
History[]
Background[]
After the departure of most of his fleet, Woodes Rogers acquires a new fleet of four sloops to help the Gloucestershire in defending Nassau.
Season Four[]
During the pirate invasion of Nassau, three of their four ships are grounded on hulks scuttled in the harbor, making them sitting ducks for the fort's guns. The pirates attempt to escape in longboats, and the Lion and the Gloucestershire harass them, firing their cannons and muskets at the fleeing pirates. The other three sloops pursue Edward Teach's ship, the Revenge, but are defeated, their crews killed or captured[1].
Teach returns to blockade Nassau, demanding that Rogers deliver Eleanor Guthrie to him in exchange for his leaving. Rogers sails the Lion out of Nassau's harbor at night under the cover of the fort's guns, sailing for Port Royal. Rogers hopes Teach will follow him, allowing for Eleanor to sail to Philadelphia to enlist the aid of her grandfather[2].
Teach follows Rogers and eventually catches up to him. After a barrage of cannon-fire, Teach and Anne Bonny lead the vanguard aboard, while Jack Rackham remains to captain the Revenge. Once aboard, the pirates only find the dead and the dying. Rogers then springs his trap, and he and his men emerge from the cabin and belowdecks to ambush the pirates. After a fierce fight, the pirates are overwhelmed and captured. To save their lives, Rackham surrenders. Rogers slowly executes Teach via keelhauling, and then has the remaining 42 pirates shackled and placed in the hold of the Lion, which is towed by the Revenge[3].
On their way to Nassau, Rogers and his men learn of Nassau's fall. Rogers orders Lieutenant Kendrick to head take command of the Lion and deliver the pirates to Port Royal to be executed. Rogers then sails the Revenge to Nassau. Kendrick and his men are embittered and angry that they cannot take part in the fight for Nassau and avenge the death of Captain Berringer. Kendrick decides to have Rackham choose pirates to fight a hulking Redcoat, Mr. Milton. Rackham is aghast, but when threatened with having Anne pitted against Milton, he chooses Carver. Carver is able to put up a good fight, but a Redcoat then hands Milton a mallet, and he swiftly dispatches Carver. Kendrick then asks Rackham to choose again. After a dozen or so men fall before Milton, Anne has Rackham refuse to give a name, prompting Kendrick to pit her against Milton. Anne is able to endure the beating, and stabs Milton and Kendrick with shards of glass and then throws the keys to the pirates. The pirates rebel against their captors and successfully kill all of them, taking over the ship and sailing to Nassau[4].
Rackham and his men land on the beach on the southern coast, having decided to land there because they did not know if the harbor was safe to enter. They find Flint, Madi and Eleanor and their guards waiting, thinking he was Kofi with the Urca gems[5].
Shortly after they depart, Max arrives looking for Eleanor, and informs Rackham of the Spanish invasion. Rackham, Max, and his men return to the Lion, which meets up with Featherstone and Idelle aboard the Walrus. They wait out the Spanish invasion, staying behind to pick up any survivors. When the invasion is done, Flint, John Silver and their surviving allies arrive on the beach and are ferried aboard. Flint and the Walrus go south to the Maroon Island, while Max convinces Rackham to turn north and head to Philadelphia to convince Eleanor's grandparents to help them oust Rogers. While sailing there, Max visits a recovering Anne, and tells Anne that she wants to take care of her, but Anne rebuffs her, angry over Max's betrayal[6].
En route to Philadelphia, Jack Rackham tenderly ministers to the bedridden Anne Bonny. Anne notices that Max has not returned to try and see her, and realizes that Jack has told her to stay away. There is nothing worse than having too much time to think and that is all Anne has had. She is torn on the subject of Max. The Lion docks in Philadelphia, where they are forced to pay a variety of fees. Featherstone leaves to find a doctor for Anne, while Rackham goes to find Eleanor's grandfather, Joseph Guthrie. Rackham is able to successfully negotiate a deal with Marion Guthrie, Eleanor's grandmother, where they will purchase Rogers' debts and force him into default, upon which he will be imprisoned. In exchange, Rackham has to kill Flint. Anne, Max and Idelle remain in Philadelphia while Jack and Featherstone head to Nassau to find out where Flint headed[7].
Jack and Featherstone sail to Nassau to pick up Flint's trail. With the aid of Mrs. Mapleton, they find out that he followed Governor Rogers to Skeleton Island with the Walrus in pursuit, hoping to ransom Madi for the Urca cache. Mapleton also helps them find Mr McCoy, an elderly former pirate, who once sailed with Henry Avery, who can guide them to the uncharted island[8].
As they sail to Skeleton Island, McCoy encourages Rackham to try and keep the Account alive for as long as possible. Later, Rackham happily discusses with Featherstone how it finally feels like they are on the cusp of a true victory. However, Ellers informs that McCoy has died of a heart attack and they must rely on Featherstone's notes to get to the near mythical island[9].
When they arrive, they find the Walrus burned and its surviving crew desperately swimming for shore, pursued by Rogers' men in longboats, who are picking them off with muskets, led by Billy Bones. Rackham orders that they pick up the survivors. Featherstone thinks that they should just subdue Flint and deliver him to Marion Guthrie, rather than fighting Rogers, but Rackham wants to beat him and reclaim his money. They pick up a few dozen survivors, which include Flint, Silver, Israel Hands, Ben Gunn, Tom Morgan and Obi. Flint, Silver and Rackham discuss a plan in the captain's cabin. They need to capture the ship whole, without using their cannons, so they can rescue Madi. As they sail out of the inlet, Rogers' ship the Eurydice, approaches straight towards them. Flint, realizing Rogers intends to ram them, takes control of the helm and tells the men to brace for impact. The Eurydice's bow guns open fire, killing and injuring some of the men. The Lion is then rammed, her mainmast collapses against the Eurydice's foremast. The crew of the Lion rushes for cover as the Redcoats on the Eurydice's rails begin firing muskets at them. Flint tells Rackham to prepare to lead the men over the stern to board Rogers' ship at the helm. He and two others then begin climbing the rope ladders entangled with the Eurydice's foremast.
Rackham orders Ellers to load a nearby swivel gun. Flint uses an axe to cut a line holding them together. Billy, who has joined the sharpshooters in the crow's nest, tries to stop him but fails. Flint is able to free the Lion's mainmast, which is pinned down. This turns the ship alongside Rogers'. Two pirates then take out the sharpshooters in the crow's nest, but Billy kills them both before being confronted by Flint. As they grapple, Rackham leads the men over the side, and Ellers fires his swivel gun at the Redcoats near the helm, killing or injuring many of them. Silver fights his way belowdekcs, where he is overjoyed to find Madi alive.
Billy and Flint continue to fight atop the foremast, after several close calls, Flint is able to throw Billy into the water. He descends to the quarterdeck where he and Rackham take on Rogers, and are able to subdue him. They look to the rest of the ship, and find that their crew has captured or killed most of Rogers' men. Featherstone then takes Madi home aboard the Eurydice, while the Lion remains at the island. Most of the men crewing it are former Walrus men, and Rackham stays behind on the ship while Flint, Silver, Ben, Tom and Hands go ashore to recover the cache.
After Silver commits to not continuing the war, Flint is sent to Savannah, Georgia, aboard the Lion, to live the rest of his life on James Oglethorpe's estate, where Thomas Hamilton also resides[10].
Pirate Crew[]
- Jack Rackham (Captain)
- Augustus Featherstone (Former Quartermaster)
- Anne Bonny
- Mary Read
- Ellers
- James
- Mr. McCoy (deceased)
- Carver (as prisoner; deceased)
- Flint (temporarily)
- John Silver (temporarily)
- Israel Hands (temporarily)
- Ben Gunn (temporarily)
- Tom Morgan (temporarily)
- Obi (temporarily)
British Crew[]
- Woodes Rogers (Former Captain)
- Lieutenant Kendrick (Acting Captain; deceased)
- First Mate Molin (Former First Mate)
- Mr. Milton (deceased)
- Chase
- Heckling Redcoat (deceased)
Trivia[]
- The Lion is referred to both as a brig (short for brigantine) and a sloop in dalogue. However, the sail plan matches a brigantine more than it does a sloop.
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
| XXIX. | XXX. | XXXI. | XXXII. | XXXIII. |
| XXXIV. | XXXV. | XXXVI. | XXXVII. | XXXVIII. |