''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
* C ...
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. There are two forms of reproduction: Asexual reproduction, asexual and Sexual ...
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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
.
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 has been used for the majority of the
rigging
Rigging comprises the system of ropes, cables and chains, which support and control a sailing ship or sail boat's masts and sails. ''Standing rigging'' is the fixed rigging that supports masts including shrouds and stays. ''Running rigg ...
and the sails made of
linen
Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant.
Linen is very strong and absorbent, and it dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. Lin ...
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'') 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 Departments of France, department. Wi ...
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 G ...
for the Mediterranean with 11 stopovers including Tangier,
Sète
Sète (; , ), also historically spelled ''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'' (fem ...
, Marseille and Toulon.
2021 damage
During an inspection in 2021, extensive damage due to rot was found in Hermione's planking and timbers. Repairing the damage will require an essentially complete rebuild (something not uncommon in the days of wooden warships), which is hoped to be completed in 2025.
Gallery
Photographs of the construction 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 construction 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 construction 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. O ...
.
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
See also
*
Ship replica
A ship replica is a reconstruction of a no longer existing ship. Replicas can range from authentically reconstructed, fully seaworthy ships, to ships of modern construction that give an impression of a historic vessel. Some replicas may not even ...
(including a list of ship replicas).
* ''
Götheborg'', a sailing replica of an 18th-century Swedish
East Indiaman
East Indiamen were merchant ships that operated under charter or licence for European trading companies which traded with the East Indies between the 17th and 19th centuries. The term was commonly used to refer to vessels belonging to the Bri ...
.
*''
Kalmar Nyckel
was a Swedish ship built by the Dutch famed for carrying Swedish settlers to North America in 1638, to establish the colony of New Sweden. The name comes from the Swedish city of Kalmar and meaning in Swedish. The name was also a tribute to K ...
'', a replica of the 17th century merchant ship that brought Swedes to "
New Sweden
New Sweden () was a colony of the Swedish Empire between 1638 and 1655 along the lower reaches of the Delaware River in what is now Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Established during the Thirty Years' War when Sweden was a g ...
", the first Swedish colony in America.
*
HM Bark ''Endeavour'', a replica of the 18th century bark commanded by Lieutenant
James Cook
Captain (Royal Navy), Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 176 ...
.
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 DeptfordA 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 Royal Navy Dockyard, 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 man ...
, 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