Woodes Rogers' Second Fleet is the fleet he used to defend Nassau from the pirates.
History[]
Background[]
After Commodore Chamberlain leads the majority of the fleet back to England due to war breaking out with Spain, Rogers acquires a new fleet of ships purchased from nearby British colonies. This fleet was smaller than his first fleet, but still a capable fighting force when used effectively. It consisted of six ships, five of which were sloops. In addition, he also purchased three large hulks for a cheap price from Abaco and scuttled them in the harbor to prevent the entry of large vessels.
Season Four[]
The five sloops are at anchor when the pirate fleet attempts to invade Nassau. However, three out of four of the pirate ships are grounded on hulks sunk in the bay. Two of the sloops, the Lion and the Gloucestershire, stay behind to harass the pirates escaping in longboats. The other three pursue Teach aboard the Revenge. Teach, whose rigging had been damaged exchanging cannon fire with Fort Nassau, allows himself to be boarded. In the fierce fighting, he is able to kill or capture the attacking Redcoats, taking 61 prisoners.
To send a message to Rogers, Teach has one of the captured sloops drift into Nassau’s harbor, festooned with the corpses of the British prisoners he executed. Teach’s demands are also attached on the ship. Teach blockades Nassau’s harbor and threatens to execute more prisoners, holding sixty one more men prisoner aboard his ship. He says he will only lift the blockade if Eleanor Guthrie is delivered to him.
In order to lure Teach away from his position, Rogers sails away in the Lion, to allow Eleanor to go to Philadelphia to enlist the aid of her grandparents. Before Eleanor is able to depart however, Captain Berringer revokes her permission to leave, saying the soldiers that would comprise her escort are more needed in Nassau. Nassau is shortly thereafter overrun by the pirates and she is forced to flee to the fort. Meanwhile, Rogers is able to lure Teach and his vanguard aboard the Lion after it has been peppered by cannonfire. Rogers springs a trap and his men emerge from belowdecks and capture Teach and Anne Bonny. Jack Rackham then surrenders to prevent Bonny and Teach from being killed. Rogers leads his men aboard the Revenge and executes Teach by keelhauling him. He then sails for Nassau, towing the Lion behind them with the pirate prisoners in the hold.
After learning of Nassau's fall, Rogers orders Lieutenant Kendrick to take the pirate prisoners in the Lion to Port Royal for trial and execution while he makes haste to Nassau aboard the Revenge. Angered at being excluded from the fight, Kendrick and his fellow Redcoats make unarmed pirates fight against the hulking Mr. Milton, who is armed with a large wooden mallet. Eventually, Anne goes against him and is able to throw Kendrick's keys to the pirates, and they rise up and slaughter the skeleton crew of Redcoats. They take over the ship and return to Nassau shortly before the Spanish Invasion. Once warned of the impending danger by Max, they meet the Walrus and wait anchored off the coast for any survivors of the invasion. Flint later leads his surviving men, augmented by the addition of Julius' army, to the ships. As they sail to the Maroon Island, Rackham and Max sail north instead, to Philadelphia. In Philadelphia, they manage to convince Eleanor's grandmother, Marion Guthrie, to aid their effort to oust Woodes Rogers, on the condition that they kill Captain Flint.
The Walrus approaches the Eurydice.
Meanwhile, Rogers demands that the pirates hand over the Urca gems in exchange for Madi, who was thought killed by the Spanish but was actually captured by Rogers. He sends a sloop to the Maroon Island to deliver the ransom note.
The pirates return to Nassu, and they send Kofi under the cover of night ashore with a recon team to find her location and free her if possible, but they are all captured. The next morning, Rogers, having slipped behind the Walrus with his new flagship, the Eurydice, executes Kofi and his men in full view of the Walrus. Before he can execute Madi, Silver has two pirates hold up the Urca gems so Rogers can see that they have them. Rogers then sails the Eurydice to Skeleton Island, with the Walrus following them.
En route, the ships sail through a small storm, using a small island as a waypoint to plot the course to Skeleton Island. At the island, Flint and Dooley abscond with the gems, and Silver goes to the Eurydice to explain the situation to Rogers. Molin signals his arrival with a whistle as Silver climbs aboard. Silver informs the Governor of Flint's treachery and his efforts to reclaim the cache.
Rogers decides to attack the pirates while Silver and his men chase Flint. Lieutenant Utley and several men swim with a cask of gunpowder to the stern of the Walrus under the cover of the mist. There, they set it on fire, causing the pirate ship to catch fire as well. The pirates are eventually forced to abandon ship, where they are picked off like fish in a barrel by Rogers and his men in longboats. However, Rogers calls off the attack when the Lion appears, crewed by Rackham and his men, who pick up Flint and the survivors.
The Eurydice sails to the river mouth, and is concealed by the headland. As the Lion clears the mouth, Rogers has his ship sailed straight at the pirates, intending to ram them. The Lion is unable to avoid the Eurydice, and is hit near the mainmast. Rogers sends his soldiers to the rails armed with muskets, ordering them to fire down at the pirates. He also orders Billy to join the snipers in the foremast. Flint climbs up the entangled rope ladders of the two ships along with several pirates. The pirates climb up to the crow's nest and kill the soldiers, but are unable to defeat Billy. Flint is able to cut the Lion loose, allowing the current to bring them alongside. Rackham then leads the crew aboard Rogers' ship at the helm.
A brutal fight ensues on deck, while Flint and Billy clash in the foremast. Eventually, Flint is able to kick Billy overboard into the water. Meanwhile, Silver makes his way belowdecks, where he finds a Cowardly Cook, whom he holds at swordpoint until the Cook leads him to Madi, who is alive. Up above, Rogers and Rackham engage in a ferocious duel until Flint joins, and Rogers is soon disarmed and captured, and the surviving members of his crew surrender. Rogers and his men are imprisoned, and the Eurydice is sent to take Madi back to the Maroon Island under Featherstone's command, while Flint, Silver and Rackham remain behind to dig up the cache.
Ships[]
- The Eurydice, a three masted vessel armed with roughly 20 guns and augmented with extra swivel guns over the bow., Rogers' new flagship.
- The Gloucestershire, Rogers’ only remaining ship from his first fleet, a sloop of roughly ten guns.
- The Lion, a Brigantine of roughly ten guns.
- Three unnamed sloops each armed with roughly ten guns.
Crew and Passengers[]
- Woodes Rogers, Captain of the Eurydice and commander of the fleet.
- Captain Berringer, Rogers’ second in command and leader of the remaining Redcoats.
- Lieutenant Kendrick , a trusted officer and temporary captain of the Lion.
- Lieutenant Utley, a trusted officer and Rogers’ second in command aboard the Eurydice.
- First Mate Molin, first mate aboard the Eurydice and the Lion.
- Mr. Milton, a soldier under Lieutenant Kendrick’s command.
- Mr. Chase, a soldier under Rogers' command.
- Gloucestershire Captain
- Eleanor Rogers, formerly Guthrie, Rogers' wife.
- Mrs. Hudson , a chambermaid in Rogers’ service.
- Billy Bones, formerly the leader of the Pirate Resistance, then a crewmate aboard the Eurydice.
Quotes[]
"Lookout reports had five two-masted vessels in the harbor while you were below." - Madi to John Silver in XXIX.
Gallery[]
