Conquista

"Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan and even Jacques Cartier would have been jealous to not explore the world on such a mighty vessel."

- Matsu Cortés, September 1548

The Conquista, also known as the Black Ship, is a large Spanish carrack built in Cádiz in early 16th century to act as the flagship of Hernán Cortés until his death in 1547, where the ship was transferred to Spanish administration and later bought by his son, Matsu Cortés, in 1548 and converted to his personal "exploration ship."
The Conquista is a strong, seaworthy vessel, capable of surviving an Atlantic crossing in the worst of weathers all the way to Ocrea. This is a tribute to their builder’s methods and techniques, learned over the decades of making caravels and smaller carracks. It is designed specifically to transport a number of goods from Spain, mainly firearms, gunpowder and other tradeable goods, under the protection of a powerful vessel from pirates, making it a heavily armed trade ship as a result.
It was known to be one of the largest of its kind, financed by the profit Cortés got from selling gunpowder to the Shajin - though, at very unfair prices - which was used to create a ship for his second expedition to transport goods safely without hassles from the pirates of northern Ocrea or any other European privateers. It was also used in a number of battles between pirates, where it became known to rarely take any damage from enemy vessels and always manages to sink every ship that stands in its way. In Ocrea, the Conquista became known to the Ocreans as the visual representation of the constructs of people from the east and was used as an inspiration of shipbuilders to create copies of the same ship, but mainly failed due to lack of gunpowder to defend the ships from boarding parties.

Propulsion

Sails

Weapons & Armament

The Conquista is equipped with 24 cannons on broadside and has its armoury filled with matchlock muskets and swords to protect from any boarders.

Armor and defense

The Conquista has three decks to shoot from: the bow, the stern and the center deck. There are two broadside cannon emplacements to properly defend the starboard and port positions.

Nickname

Black Ship

Motto

Gloria a Dios

Manufacturer

Spain

Owner

Hernán Cortés

Owning Organization

Cortés' Expedition

Beam

10 m

Length

50 m

Weight

1000 tonnes

Complement / Crew

100 marines, 200 seamen, 50 cannoneers

Cargo & Passenger Capacity

It's cargo complies of a vast ammount of tradeable goods, food and armaments.