Sovereign XO 22 pays homage to the Royal Navy's HMS Sovereign of the Seas. A triple deck Man O War "First Rate" Ship of the Line Galleon. Known by all as the Golden Devil or by the Dutch as the Gilded Lion, she was the most extravagant ship ever constructed and adorned from stern to bow with gilded carvings against a black background. Sovereign was ordered in August 1634 on the personal initiative of King Charles I of England as a prestige project. The decision provoked much opposition from the Brethren of Trinity House, who pointed out, "There is no port in the Kingdom that can harbor this ship. The Wild Sea must be her port, her anchors and cables her safety; if either fails, the ship must perish, the King loses his jewel, four or five hundred men must die, and perhaps some great and noble peer".

King Charles ordered 102 bronze cannons to ensure it was the most powerfully armed ship in the world. Sovereign of the Seas had 118 gun ports and only 102 guns. The Sovereign of the Seas carried 155.9 tons (141,430 kg) of guns – which did not include the weight of the gun carriages. Each cannon was carved meticulously and featured a Tudor rose, a crown, and the motto: Carolvs Edgari sceptrvm aqvarum – "Charles has established Edgar's scepter of the waters" – engraved on them. What a beast she was. Victor Spolia!