Captain Haddock the time of their last completed and published adventure, "Tintin and the Picaros", Haddock had become such an important figure that he dominates much of the story. Captain (Archibald) Haddock's ancestor, Sir Francis Haddock, is hinted at being the illegitimate son of the French Sun King (Louis XIV), a possible reference to Hergé's own family history— Hergé liked to believe that his father was the illegitimate son of the Belgian king Leopold II. As Hergé was considering names for his new character, he asked his wife, Germaine, what she had cooked for dinner. She told him, “a sad English fish—haddock.”
SS Belgian Captain convoys during the Second World War. Convoy ON 177 departed Cardiff on 4 April 1943 bound for New York. "Belgian Captain" was carrying a cargo of coal bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia. Convoy HX 241 departed New York on 25 May 1943 and arrived at Liverpool on 10 June. "Belgian Captain" was carrying a cargo of steel and lumber bound for London. She sailed from Halifax on 27 May and joined the convoy at sea on 29 May. Convoy ON 192 departed Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire on 8 July 1943 bound for New York. "Belgian Captain" was bound for Halifax, Nova