2014 September 17th, Hermione replica comes off the Charente river and reaches open sea for the first time. | |
History | |
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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 | 54 m (177 ft) |
Draught | 5.78 m (19.0 ft) |
Propulsion | Sails, auxiliary engine |
Sail plan | full-rigged ship |
Complement | 72 |
Armament | 32 (non-functional replica) guns: [1]
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Hermione is a 32-gun Concorde-class frigate fitted for 12-pounder guns, completed in Rochefort by the Asselin organisation in 2014. It is a reproduction 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.
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, Concorde, were used. The cost was estimated to be $22 million. [2] 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 and the sails made of linen canvas.
An engine will be used for safety, and electric generators for lighting and basic amenities.
In preparation for a transatlantic voyage in 2015, the frigate departed from Rochefort and started her seaworthiness trials on 7 September 2014. [3]
In April 2015, Hermione started her return voyage to the United States. [4] Hermione’s itinerary is meant to reaffirm the relationship between the United States and France.
Hermione departed from La Rochelle on 18 April 2015. [5]
On 2 February 2018, the Hermione undertook another voyage leaving Rochefort for the Mediterranean with 11 stopovers including Tangier, Sète, Marseille and Toulon. [6] [7]
Photographs of the reconstruction from 2005.
Photographs of the reconstruction from 2006.
Photographs of the reconstruction from 2009.
Photographs after completion
Hermione may refer to:
Rochefort, unofficially Rochefort-sur-Mer for disambiguation, is a city and commune in Southwestern France, a port on the Charente estuary. It is a subprefecture of the Charente-Maritime department, located in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. In 2018, it had a population of 23,583.
Latouche-Tréville was a F70 type anti-submarine destroyer of the French Navy (Marine Nationale).
Louis-René Madelaine Le Vassor, comte de La Touche-Tréville was a French vice-admiral. He fought in the American War of Independence and became a prominent figure of the French Revolutionary Wars and of the Napoleonic wars.
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 be seaworthy, but built for other educational or entertainment purposes.
HMS Surprise was the name the Royal Navy gave to the French Navy's corvette Unité after Unité's capture in 1796. Unité was launched on 16 February 1794. Surprise gained fame in 1799 for the recapture of HMS Hermione. In 1802 Surprise was sold out of the service.
Médée was an Iphigénie-class 32-gun frigate of the French Navy. The British captured her in 1800 and took her into service as HMS Medee, but never commissioned her into the Royal Navy, instead using her as a prison ship.
Concorde was a Nymphe-class 40-gun frigate of the French Navy. The Royal Navy captured her in August 1800.
Hermione was a 32-gun Concorde-class frigate of the French Navy. Designed for speed, she was one of the first ships of the French Navy to receive a copper sheathing. At the beginning of the Anglo-French War of 1778, she patrolled in the Bay of Biscay, escorting convoys and chasing privateers. She became famous when she ferried General La Fayette to the United States in 1780 in support of the rebels in the American Revolutionary War. She took an incidental role in the Battle of Cape Henry on 16 March 1781, and a major one in the action of 21 July 1781.
Twelve ships of the French Navy have borne the name Hermione, in honour of Hermione, daughter of King Menelaus of Sparta and his wife, Helen of Troy.
The action of 21 July 1781 was a naval skirmish off the harbour of Spanish River, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, during the War of American Independence. Two light frigates of the French Navy, captained by La Pérouse and Latouche Tréville, engaged a convoy of 18 British ships and their Royal Navy escorts. The French captured two of the British escorts while the remainder of the British convoy escaped.
Auguste-Louis de Rossel de Cercy was a French Navy officer and painter of the 18th century. He especially painted naval scenes.
Concorde was a 32-gun frigate of the French Navy, lead ship of her class. Built in Rochefort in 1777, she entered service with the French early in the American War of Independence and was soon in action, capturing HMS Minerva in the West Indies. She survived almost until near the end of the war when HMS Magnificent captured her in 1783. Not immediately brought into service due to the draw-down in the navy after the end of the war, Concorde underwent repairs and returned to active service with the outbreak of war with France in 1793 as the fifth-rate HMS Concorde.
Opera Lafayette is an opera company based in Washington, D.C., that produces French operas from the 17th and 18th centuries. It was founded in 1995 by Ryan Brown and splits its season between Washington and New York City.
HMS Active was a 28-gun Coventry-class sixth-rate sailing frigate of the Royal Navy, launched in 1758. She was one of the captors of the Spanish ship Hermione. After Hermione surrendered, her captors found that she carried a large cargo of gold and silver that would lead to the greatest single amount of prize money awarded to the crew of a British warship.
Andromaque was a 32-gun Nymphe-class frigate of the French Navy.
The Concorde class was a type of 32-gun frigate of the French Navy, designed by Henri Chevillard, carrying 12-pounder long guns as their main armament. Three ships of this type were built between 1778 and 1779, and served during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars.
The Corderie Royale International de la mer is a vast museum complex located in the heart of the maritime Arsenal de Rochefort. The building built in 1666 has been classified as a historic monument since 1967, and currently a candidate for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Armand Le Gardeur de Tilly was a French Navy officer. He served in the War of American Independence.
Tartar was launched at Bermuda in 1775, possibly under another name. By 1779 she was a privateer sailing out of Liverpool. She captured several prizes, first in the West Indies and then around England. Two French frigates captured her in October 1780.
External video | |
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French frigate to recreate Lafayette's voyage to US, France 24 2015-04-18 | |
Replica 18th Century French frigate sails for US, BBC News, 18 April 2015 |