Revolutionary French Frigate Hermione Sails to U.S.

Replica of historic ship commemorates epic voyage

Thank you, French President Francois Hollande.  You and your entourage stole my place on the magnificent French frigate, the Hermione, which is now en route to the U.S. from France.  I, along with several other journalists, had been scheduled to board and tour the ship; even have lunch with the crew, before its departure to Yorktown, Va.  But, at the last minute you decided to board and bid farewell to the crew.  We were bumped – and bummed out. C’est la vie!

The ship that I missed touring is a replica of the original Hermione, a French warship that ferried Marquis de Lafayette across the Atlantic in 1780 to help General George Washington and the rebels in the fight for American independence.

The “new” Hermione is now duplicating that voyage of 235 years ago. Craftsmen, artisans and technicians have worked for more than 15 years on a reconstruction of the legendary ship.  Completed in 2012, the replica Hermione looks every inch like an authentic tall ship.  Throughout June and early July it will stop at  different ports on the U.S. and Canada’s eastern sea coast (See schedule below), before returning to its home port in Rochefort, France,  in August where it will be open to visitors.

Mark Jensen, 57, is one of three lucky Americans who were chosen to be among the crew of 80.  I did not get to meet him, but I spoke to him on the phone. “It’s a dream come true for me….It’s very exciting.  We are remaking history,” he said.  Jensen, who has been working on ships since the age of 12, now has a sailboat in New York City which he charters.  “I am looking forward to bringing back to life the story and friendship between Washington and Lafayette, their deep desire for the freedom of individuals,” he said.

While it was disappointing not to board the ship, it was thrilling to see the splendid three-masted frigate, the French flag fluttering from its stern,  anchored off-shore the tiny island of Aix the evening before its departure. Trying for a closer view, all sizes and types of smaller craft surrounded the proud and regal vessel as if paying honor to royalty.  On shore a TV crew set up amidst lots of admirers with cameras.  Dismal skies did not dampen the excitement.

The original Hermione was equipped with dozens of cannons and could cross the Atlantic in two months.  A small group of French enthusiasts spent two decades planning and fundraising for its replica.  Construction started in the dry dock at Rochefort in 1997 and dragged on for 15 years due to costs.  Money had to be raised while construction was underway.  The end product: an almost perfect replica with complicated rigging, multiple sails, impressive paintwork on the hull and numerous other genuine details.

Of course, it’s not an exact replica.  “I would say that we have achieved an unprecedented level of authenticity, but we still had to conform to modern health and safety legislation and there are fixed requirements for vessels wanting permission to sail across the Atlantic,”  the ship’s captain, Yann Cariou,  told a reporter for the newspaper, Connexion. For example, the cannons are lightweight and non-functional.  The rigging is made of traditional hemp, but the sails are synthetic which makes them stronger and easier to handle.  Steel has replaced rope for the anchor cable.

On that legendary voyage in 1780, the Hermione had a crew of between 200 and 240.  It took 70 sailors just to raise the anchor.  Lafayette was content. “She sails like a bird,” he said.

Fifty-six members of the current crew of 80 are volunteers, with one third being women.  All had to achieve fitness levels required to climb the rigging and manage the sails in all weather conditions.

You can track the Hermione’s progress with a series of videos and webinars at facebook.com/hermione.voyage and at the official site, hermione2015.com