Unicorn (ship)
Encyclopedia
The Unicorn 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.
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 Chevalier François de Hadoque. 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 of 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 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 went below deck to the gunpower stores. Whilst there, he encountered Rackham for the final time, killing him in a swordfight. Before leaving the ship and escaping in a small boat, he was able to set fire to the gunpowder by means of a slow-burning fuse, causing the ship (with Rackham's drunken crew still aboard) to explode and sink.
The model-maker whom Hergé approached to help create the "Licorne" was a man by the name of Gerard Liger-Belair, a Frenchman who owned and operated a hobby store in Brussels
at the time. Thanks to his knowledge, expertise and interest in old ships, and his model ship building experience, Liger-Belair was able to create the ideal ship that Hergé required. A special 2-in-1 edition of "Red Rackham's Treasure" and "The Secret of The Unicorn" was published, featuring the original blueprints of the "Licorne", as drawn by Gerard Liger-Belair, and other details about the making of these two Tintin "episodes".
The Adventures of Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin is a series of classic comic books created by Belgian artist , who wrote under the pen name of Hergé...
comic books
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
The Secret of the Unicorn
The Secret of the Unicorn
The Secret of the Unicorn is the eleventh title in the comic book series The Adventures of Tintin, written and illustrated by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. Designed to be the first volume in a two-part story, the plot of The Secret of the Unicorn was continued in the twelfth Tintin adventure, Red...
and Red Rackham's Treasure
Red Rackham's Treasure
Red Rackham's Treasure is the twelfth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero. It is a continuation of The Secret of the Unicorn, and is one of very few Tintin...
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
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan 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.
In the English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
version the Unicorn was a 17th century navy vessel that sailed under the Union Jack
Union Flag
The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas...
and was commanded by Sir Francis Haddock. In the original French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
version as well as in many international versions of the story the ship flew the French flag and was commanded by Chevalier François de Hadoque. Regardless of the language or version, the commander of the vessel is an ancestor of Captain Haddock
Captain Haddock
Captain Archibald Haddock is a fictional character in The Adventures of Tintin, the series of classic Belgian comic books written and illustrated by Hergé...
, one of the main characters.
In The Secret of the Unicorn
The Secret of the Unicorn
The Secret of the Unicorn is the eleventh title in the comic book series The Adventures of Tintin, written and illustrated by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. Designed to be the first volume in a two-part story, the plot of The Secret of the Unicorn was continued in the twelfth Tintin adventure, Red...
the Unicorn was seized and captured by a group of 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
Pulley
A pulley, also called a sheave or a drum, is a mechanism composed of a wheel on an axle or shaft that may have a groove between two flanges around its circumference. A rope, cable, belt, or chain usually runs over the wheel and inside the groove, if present...
and lost 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
Treasure
Treasure is a concentration of riches, often one which is considered lost or forgotten until being rediscovered...
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 went below deck to the gunpower stores. Whilst there, he encountered Rackham for the final time, killing him in a swordfight. Before leaving the ship and escaping in a small boat, he was able to set fire to the gunpowder by means of a slow-burning fuse, causing the ship (with Rackham's drunken crew still aboard) to explode and sink.
The model-maker whom Hergé approached to help create the "Licorne" was a man by the name of Gerard Liger-Belair, a Frenchman who owned and operated a hobby store in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
at the time. Thanks to his knowledge, expertise and interest in old ships, and his model ship building experience, Liger-Belair was able to create the ideal ship that Hergé required. A special 2-in-1 edition of "Red Rackham's Treasure" and "The Secret of The Unicorn" was published, featuring the original blueprints of the "Licorne", as drawn by Gerard Liger-Belair, and other details about the making of these two Tintin "episodes".