French ships captured at the Saintes entered Royal Navy service with names retained or anglicized, including Hector and Glorieux. Sailors might regard renaming as unlucky, but the Royal Navy still changed names when it wished. The recaptured Ardent became Tiger, possibly because another ship already bore the name Ardent. Retaining an enemy name also advertised the capture whenever the prize appeared. Ship names could therefore carry a deliberate message about naval victory.
Notable Point · 30:42-33:54
Captured warship names as psychological warfare
French prizes often kept a recognizable version of their former name, advertising the capture whenever they appeared in Royal Navy service.