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Career information
Port of registry	Singapore Shipwreck Cove
Owner(s)	Sao Feng
Captain(s)	Sao Feng Elizabeth Swann[1]
Technical information
Type	Junk
Weapons	15 heavy iron cannons
Battles	Skirmish off of the Black Sand Beach Attack on the Empress Battle of Calypso's maelstrom
Affiliation	Sao Feng's Empire Brethren Court
Behind the scenes
First appearance	At World's End (video game)
Latest appearance	Rising in the East

"The Empress..."
"What?"
"Sao Feng's flagship!"

―Jack Sparrow, Will Turner and Joshamee Gibbs.^[src]

The Empress was a notorious Chinese junk that operated in the South China Sea. It was most notably captained by Sao Feng, the Pirate Lord of Singapore, and served as Feng's flagship during the Age of Piracy.

During Lord Cutler Beckett's ruthless War Against Piracy, the Empress was attacked by the Flying Dutchman under Beckett's orders. This resulted in the death of Sao Feng. Before he died, Feng gave Elizabeth Swann the title of Pirate Lord and gave her the ship along with the title of captain. The Empress would sail for Shipwreck Cove to meet with the Fourth Brethren Court, where Elizabeth would become the Pirate King. Soon afterwards, the Empress joined the other ships in the Brethren's fleet, where they would fight against Beckett's armada. Led by Tai Huang, the crew of the Empress witnessed the following battle, which resulted in the pirates' victory.

HistoryEdit

Early useEdit

It is unknown when this Chinese junk was built, but she would become the flagship of Captain Sao Feng. Under his command, the Empress operated outside of Singapore, and was feared by respectable merchants throughout the South China Seas from the Gulf of Siam to Macao. She would take part in Sao Feng's assistance in Jack Sparrow's search for the Shadow Gold.^[2]

War Against PiracyEdit

Mutiny on the PearlEdit

"Hoy! We got company!"

―Ragetti^[src]

The Empress took a rather large part in the War Against Piracy. Following the rescue of Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones' Locker, the Empress would ambush the crew of the Black Pearl off of Black Sand Beach. The ambush was successful with the help of Tai Huang and some of Feng's men aboard the Pearl, who were led by Will Turner in a mutiny. Sao Feng had made a deal with Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Company, though was persuaded by fellow Pirate Lord Hector Barbossa to turn against the HMS Endeavour after Beckett's betrayal. Feng agreed to this in exchange for Elizabeth Swann, whom at the time he believed was the sea goddess Calypso. While the Black Pearl attacked the Endeavour, the Empress made its escape, bearing for Shipwreck Cove.^[1]

A new captainEdit

"Signal the Dutchman to track down Sao Feng. We follow the Pearl."

―Cutler Beckett^[src]

Because of Sao Feng's apparent double-cross, Beckett ordered the Flying Dutchman to give chase, and the Empress was attacked the following night. Cannonfire struck the captain's cabin, mortally wounding Sao Feng as he attempted to seduce Elizabeth Swann. While the crew fought against Davy Jones' crew, Feng gave Elizabeth his piece of eight and gave her captaincy of the Empress, asking her to go to Shipwreck Cove and meet with the Brethren Court in his place. Though Tai Huang did not consider Elizabeth a fitting replacement, the crew did not hesitate in assuring Davy Jones that she was indeed the captain.^[1]

Admiral James Norrington ordered the Empress was towed by the Flying Dutchman and, in his respect for Elizabeth Swann, sent the crew alive to the Dutchman's brig. During the voyage, Norrington decided to help Elizabeth by setting the crew free, and sacrificed himself to a delusional Bootstrap Bill Turner to allow Elizabeth and her crew to return to their ship. The Empress would reached Shipwreck Cove, where Elizabeth represented Sao Feng in the Brethren Court meeting.^[1]

Fighting with the BrethrenEdit

"Hoist the colors!"

―Elizabeth Swann^[src]

During the Fourth Brethren Court, Elizabeth was voted as the new Pirate King. With her new kingship, Elizabeth ordered the Brethren to prepare for war against Lord Beckett. The Empress was part of the Brethren's armada that met with Beckett's armada. By this time, Tai Huang was given command of the Empress while Elizabeth helped out aboard the Black Pearl, which served as the Brethren's flagship.

After the release of the sea goddess Calypso from her human form, the Empress crew witnessed the battle around Calypso's maelstrom. After the battle, which resulted in the death of Davy Jones and Lord Cutler Beckett, Tai Huang and the crew celebrated the pirates' victory.^[1] The ship's further fate is unknown.

Design and appearanceEdit

The Empress was a junk with sturdy internal walls and sails strengthened by bamboo battens. The junk's aerodynamic sails were not square-rigged as with its Western counterparts, but angled toward the wind, allowing the Empress to sail almost straight into it. A traditional "eye", thought to provide the ship with vision, was painted on the green hull of the Empress. The vessel could hold up to six hundred tons of cargo, and the forward hold was commonly used as a mobile prison. In a cutaway of the Empress it is shown that some prisoners were kept in this prison too long, with their bones still hanging from their shackles.

The vessel was armed with fifteen heavy iron cannons, loaded both with typical cannonballs and "stink bombs": an ancient Chinese practice wherein clay pots loaded with gunpowder, nails, sulfur and other assorted refinements were fired from the cannons as a form of grisly entertainment for the crew.^[3]

Sao Feng's personal quarters, located aft of the main deck, were lavishly decorated with exotic dyes and expensive furniture to emphasize the captain's exalted position. Exotic artifacts, such as acupuncture needles, elixirs and fragrance burners, were among Feng's prized possessions kept in his cabin. Feng was known to perform an ancient ritual with these objects to bring good fortune on voyages.^[4]

Behind the scenesEdit

• The Empress was portrayed by a floating set built atop a barge in At World's End.^[5]
• While the name Empress didn't appear in At World's End itself, it did appear in the video game adaption.

The Pirates of the Caribbean wiki has a collection of images and media related to Empress.

AppearancesEdit

• Legends of the Brethren Court: Rising in the East
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (video game) (First appearance)

SourcesEdit

• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (video game)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide

Notes and referencesEdit