Unicorn (ship)

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The Unicorn (La Licorne in French) is a fictional three-masted armed navy vessel appearing in The Adventures of Tintin comic books The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham's Treasure published in 1943 and 1944, respectively. The vessel has a leading role in both of the forementioned stories.

Hergé's Unicorn design was inspired by Le Brillant built in 1690 at Le Havre, France. Hergé used the services of a local model maker to find an appropriate French ship who customized the ship to meet the historical needs stated by Hergé. The address to obtain the plans for the ship, along with other information was published in an article in Amis de Hergé magazine, June 1989.^[1]

In the English version the Unicorn was a 17th century navy vessel that sailed under the Union Jack and was commanded by Sir Francis Haddock. In the original French version as well as in many international versions of the story the ship flew the French flag and was commanded by Sir Francis Haddock. Regardless of the language or version, the commander of the vessel is an ancestor of Captain Haddock, one of the main characters.

In The Secret of the Unicorn the Unicorn was seized and captured by a group pirates led by Red Rackham. As the pirates boarded they hoisted a red pennant signalling that no life would be spared. During the battle Sir Francis was hit by a pulley and lost his consciousness.

After the battle the members of the Unicorn crew still alive were killed or thrown overboard. Sir Francis regained consciousness, finding himself tied to the mainmast. The pirate ship was damaged and sinking, so Red Rackham moved his treasure onboard the Unicorn. After this the ship sailed towards an uninhabited island.

When anchored near the shore of the island, Sir Francis managed to free himself and escaped in a small boat. Before leaving the ship he set fire to the gunpowder storage, causing the ship to explode and sink.

[edit] References

1. ^ The Unicorn references on 2008-01-03