List of boats in The Adventures of Tintin

True to his quest for realism and authenticity, Hergé, who aims to produce a demanding and coherent work, provides rich research to faithfully represent his ships.

[1] Hergé draws inspiration from the literary and cinematic traditions of the late 19th century to the interwar period, which is based on the Western collective imagination where the sea holds both fascination and fear.

Literary critic Philippe Goddin points out: "For about ten years, Tintin maintained with the maritime universe, and more generally with the liquid element, the same frank and uninhibited relationship that he displayed towards other means of transport.

"[4] A maritime cycle began with The Crab with the Golden Claws in 1940, marked by the encounter with Captain Haddock, and continuing with The Shooting Star, The Secret of the Unicorn, and Red Rackham's Treasure.

The sea became the prominent setting for the adventures, reflectiong Hergé’s need to provide the escape for his hero seemed during the German occupation of Belgium in World War II.

[7] However, this album marks "the true farewell [of] heroes to the high seas," according to the expression of the professor Michel Pierre, since, in the last adventures of the series, Tintin's maritime escapades and walks in port docks are left behind, although the story of Flight 714 to Sydney is set on a Pacific island.

Starting in 1935, he subscribed to the marine magazine Wandelaer et sur l'eau and sought guidance from the writer and collector Alexandre Berqueman, for whom he designated the cover of a book titled Belgian Maritime Museums.

These documents included numerous sketches of vessels inspired by those of the French Royal Navy, even though Hergé likely never visited the National Maritime Museum in Paris.

Before the war, he had also sold a balsa wood model of the H.22 Stratonef, featured in Mr. Pump's Legacy, the first story in The Adventures of Jo, Zette and Jocko, another series by Hergé.

[17] That same year, Hachette editions initiated a collection of 110 volumes to assemble the ship model, with each installment containing components of the boat and an accompanying explanatory booklet.