''Hermione'' is a 32-gun ''Concorde''-class frigate fitted for

12-pounder gun 12-pounder gun or 12-pdr, usually denotes a gun which fired a projectile of approximately 12 pounds. Guns of this type include: *12-pounder long gun, the naval muzzle-loader of the Age of Sail *Canon de 12 de Vallière, French cannon of 1732 *Cano ...

s, completed in Rochefort by the Asselin organisation in 2014. It is a

reproduction Reproduction (or procreation or breeding) is the biological process by which new individual organisms – "offspring" – are produced from their "parent" or parents. Reproduction is a fundamental feature of all known life; each individual or ...

of the 1779 ''Hermione'', which achieved fame by ferrying General La Fayette to the United States in 1780 to allow him to rejoin the American side in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

Construction

This project was conceived by members of the Centre International de la Mer in 1992, and construction began in 1997, envisaging a launch in April 2015 (as compared to the original, which took less than a year to build). The shipyard was in one of the two dry docks beside the Corderie Royale at Rochefort. As far as possible, traditional construction methods were used although modern power tools were substituted for the period tools on some jobs. The site is open to the public, and admission fees help fund the project. Plans of a sister ship, , were used. The cost was estimated to be $22 million. The original plans had been modified in several ways for reasons of strength and safety: planks had been bolted rather than pegged to avoid movement during the long period of construction. Similarly, the mast sections were fastened with glue rather than metal hoops to avoid water penetration. The cannons are lightweight and non-functional to save weight.

Manilla rope Manila rope is a type of rope made from manila hemp. Manila hemp is a type of fiber obtained from the leaves of the abacá. It is not actually hemp, but named so because hemp was long a major source of fiber, and other fibers were sometimes n ...

has been used for the majority of the

rigging Rigging comprises the system of ropes, cables and chains, which support a sailing ship or sail boat's masts—''standing rigging'', including shrouds and stays—and which adjust the position of the vessel's sails and spars to which they are ...

and the sails made of

linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...

canvas. An engine will be used for safety, and electric generators for lighting and basic amenities.

2015 voyage

In preparation for a transatlantic voyage in 2015, the frigate departed from Rochefort and started her seaworthiness trials on 7 September 2014. In April 2015, ''Hermione'' started her return voyage to the United States. ''Hermione''’s itinerary is meant to reaffirm the relationship between the United States and France. ''Hermione'' departed from

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...

on 18 April 2015.

2018 voyage

On 2 February 2018, the Hermione undertook another voyage leaving

Rochefort Rochefort () may refer to: Places France * Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department ** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard * Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department * Rochefort-du-Gard, in the Ga ...

for the Mediterranean with 11 stopovers including Tangier,

Sète Sète (; oc, Seta, ), also historically spelt ''Cette'' (official until 1928) and ''Sette'', is a commune in the Hérault department, in the region of Occitania, southern France. Its inhabitants are called ''Sétois'' (male) and ''Sétoises' ...

, Marseille and Toulon.

Gallery

Photographs of the reconstruction from 2005. Image:Hermione Reconstruction 1.JPG Image:Hermione Reconstruction 2.JPG Image:Hermione Reconstruction 3.JPG Image:Hermione Reconstruction 4.JPG Image:Hermione Reconstruction 5.JPG Image:Hermione Reconstruction 6.JPG Photographs of the reconstruction from 2006. Image:Hermione2006_1.JPG Image:Hermione2006_2.JPG Image:Hermione2006_3.JPG Image:Hermione2006_4.JPG Image:Hermione2006_5.JPG Image:Hermione2006_6.JPG Photographs of the reconstruction from 2009. Image: Hermione 0409.jpg, April 2009: the bulwarks have been painted, the Officers' ladder is in its place. Image: Hermione12.JPG, The bow of the frigate. Image: Hermione 0409 poupe.jpg, The Officers' ladder seen by the

stern The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Ori ...

. Photographs after completion File:Frégate Hermione réplique de la frégate de 1779 en aout 2014 DSC 5806.jpg File:Hermione-fregat replica -DSC 5751.jpg File:Frégate Hermione réplique de la frégate de 1779 en aout 2014 DSC 5906.jpg File:Hermione - Bordeaux canons - 2014.jpg File:Hermione à Brest en Penfeld-001.JPG File:L'Hermione Brest.jpg

Bibliography

* Emmanuel de Fontainieu, Yves Gaubert, ''L'Hermione, de Rochefort à la gloire américaine'', Editions de Monza, 2002 * Robert Kalbach, Jean-Luc Gireaud, ''L'Hermione, Frégate des Lumières'', Dervy, 2004 * Jean-Marie Ballu, ''L'Hermione, l'aventure de sa reconstruction'', Editions du Gerfaut, 2007 * James M. Volo, ''Blue Water Patriots: The American Revolution Afloat'', Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007

References

External links

Official website
(French)
Naval History : ''l'Hermione''
(French)

The Lenox Project: a lasting legacy for Deptford
A comparable London project to build a full-size sailing replica of HMS ''Lenox'' (1678) at a dedicated new museum on the site of the old

Deptford Dockyard Deptford Dockyard was an important naval dockyard and base at Deptford on the River Thames, operated by the Royal Navy from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. It built and maintained warships for 350 years, and many significant events a ...

, where the original ''Lenox'' was built. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hermione (2014) Age of Sail frigates of France Ships built in France 2012 ships Concorde-class frigates Replica ships Rochefort, Charente-Maritime Tall ships of France