HMS Witch of Endor
Encyclopedia
HMS Witch of Endor is a cutter in the Horatio Hornblower
novel
Flying Colours. She was taken as a prize
by the French Navy
a year before the events of the novel, and moored at the mouth of the Loire River, at Nantes
. There, she is taken by Hornblower and his companions, Bush and Brown, who are disguised as officials of the French Customs Service. With the help of some convicts, they are able to take her out to sea and rejoin the Royal Navy
, meeting the blockading fleet.
The Witch of Endor
is a Biblical character. No explanation is given why the ship was named for her.
Horatio Hornblower
Horatio Hornblower is a fictional Royal Navy officer who is the protagonist of a series of novels by C. S. Forester. He was later the subject of films and television programs.The original Hornblower tales began with the 1937 novel The Happy Return Horatio Hornblower is a fictional Royal Navy...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
Flying Colours. She was taken as a prize
Prize
A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people to recognise and reward actions or achievements. Official prizes often involve monetary rewards as well as the fame that comes with them...
by the French Navy
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
a year before the events of the novel, and moored at the mouth of the Loire River, at Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
. There, she is taken by Hornblower and his companions, Bush and Brown, who are disguised as officials of the French Customs Service. With the help of some convicts, they are able to take her out to sea and rejoin the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, meeting the blockading fleet.
The Witch of Endor
Witch of Endor
The Witch of Endor, sometimes called the Medium of Endor, was a woman who called up the ghost of the recently deceased prophet Samuel, at the demand of King Saul of the Kingdom of Israel in the First Book of Samuel, chapter...
is a Biblical character. No explanation is given why the ship was named for her.