Fire Nation Navy
From Avatar Wiki
The Fire Nation navy is part of the vast and powerful arsenal available to Fire Lord Ozai, and is one of the key elements in the Fire Nation's conquest of the world. The navy is composed of at least hundreds of coal-powered, ironclad vessels, manned by Firebenders as well as regular troops. The ships attack by using steel trebuchets and ballista which can fire projectiles or harpoons at immensely long distances. Using these massive warships the Fire Navy can mass incredible assaults, like the great siege of the Northern Water Tribe.
Contents |
[edit] History
The Fire Nation Navy is by far the most advanced navy of any of the four nations. It has been active in the Fire Nation military for centuries and their ships come in various sizes. Their usual armaments include massive catapults that can launch fire balls at anything on land, the sea, and even the air. The Fire Nation's advanced ability to purify ore in earth to create metal is so efficient that by reducing the impurities (fragments of earth) on the ships they cannot be damaged by Earthbending, unless the bender is capable of Metalbending. So far only Toph has been able to damage a ship in this fashion. These ships can travel relatively fast, and have been spotted in just about every body of water in the world.
Many of the ships vary in size and appearance probably to reflect the status or its role in the fleet. For example Admiral Zhao's flagship during the Siege of the North had a large dragon on the hull. Princess Azula's Royal Sloop also had several spikes on it's hull as well as a pagoda command tower or bridge.
The Fire Nation owes many of their victories in the ongoing century-long war with the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes to their navy. They have participated in sending thousands of Firebenders to the front lines to fight in the land war against the Earth Kingdom. They are capable of bombardment of enemy coastlines and often raid helpless settlements. During the events of Book 1: Water, Prince Zuko used his personal Fire Nation ship to hunt down the Avatar. Unfortunately, his ship was among the weakest and smallest ships in the fleet, and was eventually destroyed in a failed assassination attempt on his life staged by Admiral Zhao. Near the end of Book 1, Zhao assembled over one hundred ships to destroy the Northern Water Tribe, and this fleet leveled much of the capital city and deployed hundreds of assault troops onto the shores. Fortunately, thanks to Aang's timely intervention, he and the Ocean Spirit were able to annihilate this fleet. After Ba Sing Se fell to the Fire Nation in Book 2, the Fire Nation used their massive fleets to send occupational troops to the city. The Fire Navy remains at sea picking off the Fire Nation's enemies, and hundreds of vessels remain active on the seas.
The Fire Nation Navy possesses a communications tower as seen in "The Southern Raiders". Here, there are records on the organization's activities and history. Zuko and Katara sneak into the tower in order to find out information on the Southern Raiders. They find out that their current location is Whale Tail Island.
Most ships in the Fire Nation Navy have a heavy releasable bow at the front of the ship, which shares some characteristics of a real-life Icebreaker ship. As the bow also acts as a landing exit, it can be used to batter through walls to create a landing point for ground troops, as shown in raids on both the Northern and Southern Water Tribes.
With the fall of Fire Lord Ozai during the climactic battle of Sozin's Comet, Prince Zuko ascended the throne as Fire Lord and has now dedicated his reign towards reestablishing peace. It is likely that the Fire Nation Navy has ceased further attacks on the other nations and is now being used to send most of the Fire Nation Armies back home.
[edit] Ships
[edit] Southern Raider Ships
Smaller and faster than the traditional Fire Nation ships, the Raiders' ships are perfect for attacking coastal villages. Their smaller size and improved maneuverability allow the ships to pull up close to the shore and surprise the enemy. One of their special technologies is a large set of dual paddle wheels used to propel these ships through the waters.
[edit] Miscellaneous Vessels
In "The Beach" Azula mentions that one of the larger class ships is known as the "Empire Class Fire Navy Battleship" which was hinted to carry thousands of soldiers.
In "Imprisoned", Katara and the Earth Kingdom prisoners from the Fire Nation Prison Rig hijack a number of small transport vessels to escape back to the coast. These ships are likely used as troop transports or cargo ferries.
In "The Deserter", Admiral Zhao uses a series of wooden riverboats to traverse through narrow rivers in his search for the traitor Jeong Jeong and the Avatar.
It was also displayed in "The Siege of the North, Part 1" that at least some Fire Navy ships possess kayaks or small lifeboats deployed through a side hatch on the hull, as Zuko used one of these ships to infiltrate the Northern Water Tribe.
Admiral Zhao's vessel was a specially-modified ship designed to serve as a more powerful flagship of Fire Nation armadas. It possessed an ornate bow resembling the head of a dragon.
In "The Beach", Azula, Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee go for a vacation on Ember Island on a small wooden luxury vessel built for use by Fire Nation nobles. This small vessel possesses no engines, and is pulled by one Sea Lion. It is a non-combat vessel meant for civilian purposes.
[edit] Royal Vessels
Other ships from the Fire Navy include Zuko's ship and Azula's Ship. Zuko's ship was small and outdated, and likely a conventional vessel as opposed to one more accustomed to Royals. In sharp contrast, Azula's ship was fast and large, complete with a highly ornate bow and a large pagoda-style conning tower. It is likely the only ship of its class.
Fire Lord Ozai also possessed his own personal vessel, which was briefly seen before his departure to the Earth Kingdom in "Sozin's Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King". The ship would appear to be slightly larger than Azula's ship and again highly ornate. Like all Fire Nation vessels, it sports a large conning tower on a large base.
