Zuko's ship



Zuko's ship is a relatively small vessel handled by a small crew. In actuality, it is an antiquated cruiser, with little in the way of special modifications for the prince's convenience. Zuko used this ship to travel around the world in search of the long lost Avatar. Though evidently inferior in comparison to other navy vessels, Zuko's ship is small and light enough to effectively pursue a flying bison.

Initially, Zuko was banished without a ship nor a crew to aid him in his search. Following several unsuccessful attempts at recruiting prospective crew members, Zuko was forced to request help from Azula, who surprisingly agreed to help him, albeit with a warning that there would be a price to pay. Fire Lord Ozai granted his son a ship, with the condition that he take his uncle along with him, who had become a nuisance at the Imperial Court. Iroh, who was more than happy to accompany his nephew, then proceeded to assemble a crew comprised of former subordinates from his days as a general.

The ship was destroyed when Zhao paid a group of pirates to fill the ship with barrels of blasting jelly, causing it to explode after ignition.

History
After Prince Zuko acquired this ship upon his banishment, it became his primary means of transportation across the world. In his relentless search for the Avatar, Zuko scoured the entire world on the ship, desperately seeking out his trophy so that he may present him to his father and reclaim his right to the throne. Three years after his banishment, Zuko finally found the Avatar in the Southern Water Tribe, and assaulted the defenseless tribe until the Avatar agreed to surrender if Zuko spared the inhabitants. Zuko almost escaped with Aang, but his new friends Katara and Sokka rescued him and the three left the ship frozen in the icebergs.

Then, Zuko sailed the ship to an Fire Nation shipyard in order to repair his damaged vessel. He continued to use this ship to hunt down his arch-nemesis. In one incident, he sailed this vessel in close proximity to Crescent Island within Fire Nation waters, as the Avatar was seeking counsel from Avatar Roku at the Fire Temple. This was a blatant violation of the terms for Zuko's banishment, but he ultimately escaped capture. On another occasion, the vessel was almost sunk in a massive storm when Zuko attempted to chase the Avatar without regard for the safety of himself or his crew. He pulled the ship into port when he finally decided that the safety of his crew should come first.



When Zuko docked the ship in a Fire Nation port, where he met his rival Admiral Zhao once again, Zhao announced his intention to attack the Northern Water Tribe. While on Zuko's ship, Zhao noticed two broadswords in his cabin. They were the same ones used by Zuko's alter-ego, the Blue Spirit, who had freed the Avatar in an earlier engagement. Zhao instantly recognized them and secretly deducted that the Blue Spirit was Zuko. He then ordered that Zuko's entire crew join him in the invasion, including the cook, much to Iroh's sadness.

With Zuko alone on the ship, Zhao hired the band of pirates who had stolen the Waterbending scroll to assassinate Zuko, and they attempted to do so by rigging the vessel with explosives. Zuko's ship was completely destroyed in the explosion, but Zuko survived the blast by Firebending the explosion around him and traveled to the North incognito. Due to the explosion, Zuko suffered several cuts and severe facial bruising (the bruising was often mistaken as burns as they are drawn in the same manner as his scar except for the coloring).

The loss of this vessel and his ultimately labeling as a traitor by his father forced Zuko to return to the Earth Kingdom on a makeshift raft and wander the enormous country by land.

Design
The ship was a steam-powered warship that was either a support or scout vessel in the Fire Navy, or much older than the models that are currently standard in the Fire Nation Navy, which would seem to be more likely given its almost identical appearance to the nearly century-old shipwreck of the South Pole. It was much smaller than "normal" warships, and boasted only a single catapult, as opposed to the three to five (larger) trebuchets other warships have. The size difference between Zuko's ship and a regular Fire Navy Ship could be seen when Zuko docked his ship in the Fire Nation harbor next to the much larger ships of Zhao's fleet; the other ships seemed to be the Fire Navy cruisers predominant. The ship was very fast though, able to even keep pace with Appa for extended periods of time. The original purpose might have been a blockade runner, due to its size and speed, and the fact that it was able run the Fire Navy blockade.



The ship's general appearance was very similar to that of the mainline Fire Navy ships, with a raised spiked bow that could be used as a ram that could be lowered to form a loading ramp. The bow was also suitable for breaching and invading shoreline fortifications. The entire ship was made out of metal and was a uniform dark gray color. It was approximately fifty meters long. The front section of the main deck was featureless except for a stair leading below decks and the hatch through which the catapult was deployed. The stern of the ship was rectangular, much like that of a real-world ferry. It might have been opened to form a ferry-like rear ramp, through which the riverboat might have been deployed. Below the stern the propellers were placed.

The command tower was placed about halfway down the deck, with the engine's steam boiler directly behind it. One large and one small smoke stack rose from the engine section. The tower was several stores high. The ground store served likely as a galley. The stores above contained officers' quarters; Zuko's cabin was about midway up the tower. These cabins had the narrow, rectangular, red-tinted windows signature of Fire Navy ships. The topmost deck of the tower was the bridge, a rectangular room with panoramic windows and a small open platform which protruded from the tower outside and served as an observation deck. The tower also featured a service ladder on the outside. On the very top of the tower was mounted the Fire Nation pennant.

The inside of the ship was mostly made up of dark and narrow, metal-walled corridors and was dimly lit with red lamps, evoking the feel of real-world diesel submarines. Like on submarines, most doors on Zuko's ship were made of heavy metal plating and were sealed shut using large cogwheels, presumably to serve as bulkheads in case of a hull breach. The ship also had a cargo bay large enough to hold the riverboat and several komodo rhinos. This was likely where the crew could be seen meeting to complain about Zuko.

Crew and Equipment


The ship had a small crew compared to other Fire Navy ships. Zuko clearly was in command of the ship, along with Iroh. Neither of them held any formal rank, apart from Iroh being a high general in retirement, which he didn't use, and it was unclear whose orders had precedence. Likely, the two "shared command".

The ship's captain was Lieutenant Jee, a middle-aged Firebender who, like most of the crew, had previously served under General Iroh. Captain here being his function, not rank, as in naval tradition whoever directly commands a ship is called a captain, regardless of actual rank. Zuko and Iroh had the same position as flag officers have on their vessels: they give the orders, but the ship and its crew is commanded for them by a captain. Other crew included:


 * a helmsman, an elderly sailor whom Zuko and Jee worked together to save from the ruined command tower during a storm
 * engine-room operators - unknown if one or more, the only one seen was an old sailor
 * a cook (who was, apparently, Iroh's favorite crew member)
 * seven Firebenders (including Lieutenant Jee)
 * several non-Firebending soldiers

In all the ship's crew numbers approximately thirty souls, as seen when what was likely the entire crew assembled to bid farewell to Iroh.

Zuko's ship was stocked with a moderate supply of weapons and four komodo rhinos and had one catapult, of smaller caliber than those used on Fire Navy cruisers, which was deployed from below decks through a hatch at the front of the main deck. The ship contained at least two small, steam-powered riverboats. One of these boats was used by Zuko to try to capture Aang, and get past Zhao's ship through a smoke cloud. It was later destroyed when it was commandeered by pirates and fell down a waterfall. Zuko used another riverboat to get back on the ship after his nightly adventure as the Blue Spirit.

At a certain time, there was a peculiar monkey statue perched in the galley. It was bought by Iroh on a whim from the selfsame pirates who later bombed the ship.

Activities aboard
Iroh seemed to be in charge of the ship's pastime activities, showing his concern for the crew. It seemed to fit well into his character - Iroh made his life as an outcast worthwhile by trying to improve the lives of those around him.

Music night


Founded by Iroh for the crew's entertainment, this event took place regularly. Various crew members from the cook to Lieutenant Jee participated. Whoever wished to could sing and whoever could play an instrument was free to do so. Iroh sang and played the tsungi horn while Lieutenant Jee sang and played the pipa. Zuko, while apparently able to play the tsungi horn according to Iroh, deemed it below himself to attend. In good weather, music night took place on the main deck, otherwise presumably in the galley. Some of the songs sung were "Four Seasons", and a love song that Lieutenant Jee could sing well.

Pai Sho open tournament and lessons
Though an informal and irregular event, anyone who wished could challenge Iroh to a game of Pai Sho any time, or just ask to play for practice. Pai Sho was one of Iroh's greatest passions, so he was always ready for a game. Mostly, it was Iroh who was on the lookout for a second player though, as he would play all the time if it were up to him. Iroh was very good at Pai Sho, possibly among the best in the world considering his position in the Order of the White Lotus (Grand Lotus), and therefore the crew got beaten sorrily every time. They did not give up though, often playing Iroh in teams instead of one-on-one, and according to Iroh they were all improving. Zuko had little concern for Pai Sho and didn't play.

Firebending training and sparring matches


The only activities organized and attended by Zuko, who was driven to improve his originally mediocre skills to be able to stand up to the Avatar, were his own Firebending training and the accompanying sparring matches. Iroh was Zuko's Firebending teacher, but didn't spar, presumably because no one on the ship would stand a chance against him. In addition to being one of the world's most powerful Firebenders, Iroh did not endorse unnecessary violence and had little interest even in sparring matches. Instead, Lieutenant Jee served as a more even opponent for Zuko, sometimes along with some of the other Firebenders aboard as Zuko progressed in his lessons.