The expression "as you call a ship, so it will sail" belongs to the famous captain Vrungel, the hero of the popular Soviet animated series, which was shot in the 1970s. It was a film adaptation of the famous children's story by A. Nekrasov about the adventures of this character. In one of the series, a song was sounded to the verses of E. Chapovetsky, put on the music of G. Firtich. In it, the brave hero declares that the name of the ship determines his fate, despite his technical data. This remark fully paid off during the fascinating adventure of the captain and his assistant Lom.
First failure
The meaning of the phrase “as you call a ship, so it will sail” should be considered in the context of the analysis of the plot of the cartoon, which generally coincides with the contents of the book. In the first episode, Captain Vrungel receives an offer to participate in a sailing regatta. To do this, he begins the construction of his own ship (in the story of the author, he uses a finished yacht). Then he decides to give his brainchild the corresponding name: “Victory”. However, just before the start of the trip around the world, two letters disappear, and the vessel is now called "Trouble". The name began to justify itself at the beginning of the voyage: having gone into the open sea, the captain and his assistant fall into the tide and get stuck in the fjord. Then, instead of sailing, both heroes save the squirrels from the burning forest, unsuccessfully try to turn them over to the zoo, and only after all these misadventures, they finally set sail.
Further adventures
The phrase “as you call a ship, so it will sail” sounded so expressively and colorful in the animated series that it became a real folk aphorism. The fact is that the amusing adventures of Captain Vrungel were so liked and remembered by the audience, and the expression went so well with the plot of the story that many take it literally. Indeed, the name "Trouble" as if determined the misfortunes of travelers. During their trip, they find themselves embroiled in a showdown of the Italian mafia.
One of the gangsters stole a statue of Venus, which begins a real hunt. By chance, our heroes find themselves embroiled in this intrigue, as the thief becomes a member of the crew of the "Trouble". The captain, noting that he does not know the maritime business at all, undertakes to teach him the craft of a sailor, while at the same time several gangsters sit on their tail to intercept the statue. Thus, the name of the vessel again fully justifies itself.
Chase
The words “as you call a ship, so it will sail” are important for the development of the plot in the cartoon, because in many respects they explain all the misfortunes that fell on the lot of the captain and his assistant. Despite the fact that the "trouble" breaks out in the lead, it is temporarily removed from the race because of the squirrels. However, Vrungel finds a way out, demonstrating the ability of these animals to accelerate engines. The yacht again embarks on the open sea, but it is followed by gangsters and agent 007, who is entrusted with the search for the stolen statue. After some time, travelers fall into calm, and gangsters try to take advantage of the situation to intercept Venus. The detective is trying to do the same. However, thanks to the ingenuity of Loma, the ship again sets sail, avoiding trouble for a while.
Events at sea
Andrei Nekrasov wrote a fairy tale, which immediately gained popularity among Soviet readers. The cartoon, despite some changes, generally conveys the spirit of the book. Despite the successful maneuver that allowed the captain and his assistant to continue the journey, misadventures continued to pursue them. At sea, the bandits again tried to intercept the statue, but they failed. It did not work for them to completely neutralize Agent 007, which was relentlessly following in their wake. Thus, the captain’s phrase continued to fully justify itself: misfortunes chased the “Trouble” yacht literally on its heels, not allowing the crew to rest or even relax at least for a while.
Further adventures of travelers are transmitted in almost the same sequence as described by Andrei Nekrasov in his book .
Adventures in Africa
Brave sailors decided to make a stop in Egypt in order to replenish supplies, and at the same time to explore local attractions. In this country, gangsters again want to intercept a statue from their accomplice Fuchs. The situation is complicated by the agent, who is still following the trail. So justifies the meaning of the phrase "as you call a ship, so he will sail." Who said these words is a question that is of great importance for understanding the meaning of everything that happens in the story. Captain Vrungel, as if justifying his own name, finds himself in such alterations that it would seem difficult to imagine. In fact, to whom else but him could the merchants sell crocodile eggs instead of ostrich eggs? Thus, the captain’s song about the name of the ship came in handy.
Captivity
After the release of the cartoon about the adventures of Captain Vrungel on Soviet screens, the phrase “whatever you call a ship, it will sail” came to the people. However, not everyone will now recall the expression, although this aphorism is probably known to everyone. Further adventures showed how right the captain was when he attached so much importance to the name of the ship. After all, after some time, the ship ends up on a desert island, and the crew becomes captives of the smugglers, who finally get a statue of Venus. By some miracle, they manage to escape, and Agent 007 detains the bandits for a while. Then Vrungel heads for Antarctica, but they overtake them here. After a short race, the crew still breaks away from the chase and goes to the equator.
Island Adventures
The expression “as you call a ship, so it will float”, the meaning of which is determined both by the text of the song and the plot of the cartoon, passes through the narrative as a red thread. After a while, the crew of the "Bad" rescues a sick sperm whale, he sneezes, and the yacht somehow in front of all the other participants. However, the bandits continue the persecution, they lure the sailors in an impromptu bath. But after the explosion on the island, the case with the statue again leaves the hands of the gangsters. Meanwhile, Fuchs confesses to the captain in his origin and crime. Both decided to send the statue back to the museum. After some time, the heroes arrive in the Hawaiian Islands, where the natives ask them to take part in a local concert. During the performance, the bandits kidnap the case with double bass and run away. Meanwhile, “Trouble”, contrary to its name, comes to the finish line first, and the bandits return to their boss, thinking that they are carrying a statue.
Conclusion
However, the finale of the book and the cartoon is, as it were, opposed to the words "as you name the ship, it will sail." Vrungel together with the crew completes the race using champagne bottles for this. At the same time, he manages to expose the mafia chief. So, the meaning of the phrase, seemingly justified during the trip, has lost its meaning. And although the brave captain sang that the name of the vessel determines the success of the voyage, history suggests that the outcome depended on the actions of the heroes.