French frigate Hermione (2014)

For other ships with the same name, see French ship Hermione.

Hermione in Bordeaux, 13 October 2014, with the Pont de pierre in the background.
History
France
Name	Hermione
Ordered	1995
Builder	Asselin at Rochefort
Laid down	1997
Launched	6 July 2012
General characteristics
Class and type	Concorde class 12-pounder frigate
Displacement	1,166 tons
Length	65 m (213 ft)
Beam	11.24 m (36.9 ft)
Height	177 feet
Draught	5.78 m (19.0 ft)
Propulsion	Sails, auxiliary engine
Sail plan	full-rigged ship
Complement	72
Armament	32 guns: 26 12-pounder long guns main battery 6 6-pounder long guns on the castles

The Hermione is a 12-pounder Concorde class frigate, completed in Rochefort by the Asselin organisation in 2014. She is a reproduction of the 1779 Hermione which achieved fame by ferrying General Lafayette to the United States in 1780 to allow him to rejoin the American side in the American Revolutionary War.

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 is in one of the two dry docks beside the Corderie Royale at Rochefort.

As far as possible, traditional construction methods are 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.

The original plans have been modified in several ways for reasons of strength and safety: planks have been bolted rather than pegged to avoid movement during the long period of construction. Similarly, the mast sections are fastened with glue rather than metal hoops to avoid water penetration. The cannons are lightweight and non-functional to save weight, and for safety reasons. Hemp rigging will be used, but the sails will be synthetic for strength and to allow a smaller crew to handle them.

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 sea-worthiness trials on 7 September 2014.

In April 2015, Hermione plans to make a return voyage to the United States. The frigate will stop at ports from Yorktown, Mount Vernon and Philadelphia to New York and Boston. She will make her final U.S. stop in Castine, Maine, on Bastille Day, before heading to Halifax and back to France. Hermione’s itinerary is meant to reaffirm the historic relationship between the United States and France.

Hermione departed from La Rochelle on 18 April 2015.

Gallery

Photographs of the reconstruction from 2005.

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Photographs of the reconstruction from 2006.

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Photographs of the reconstruction from 2009.

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  April 2009: the bulwarks have been painted, the Officers' ladder is in its place.
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  The bow of the frigate.
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  The Officers' ladder seen by the stern.

Photographs after completion

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Bibliography

• Emmanuel de Fontainieu, Yves Gaubert, L'Hermione, de Rochefort à la gloire américaine, Editions de Monza, 2002 ISBN 978-2-908071-95-5
• Robert Kalbach, Jean-Luc Gireaud, L'Hermione, Frégate des Lumières, Dervy, 2004 ISBN 978-2-84454-319-6
• Jean-Marie Ballu, L'Hermione, l'aventure de sa reconstruction, Editions du Gerfaut, 2007 ISBN 978-2-35191-018-4
• James M. Volo, Blue Water Patriots: The American Revolution Afloat, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007 ISBN 978-0-275-98907-1

External links

• Website of the reconstruction project
• Naval History : l'Hermione (French)
• L'Hermione - the frigate of enlightenment
• New York Times report of reconstruction project