May 09 2011
Hermione, freedom’s frigate
The Hermione frigate – the legendary ship which allowed La Fayette to join the American insurgents in the struggle for their independence in 1780 – is under reconstruction in Rochefort (France). The “new” Hermione is an exact replica of that famous ship, build with the same methods, components and materials as the original one. Almost finished, construction is now entering its last phase. The program considered is the following: From April to July 2012: Installation of the sails on dock, September and October 2012: Test at sea under sails.
2013 should be the year of her trip to Boston, with a wind of freedom ..
The Hermione challenge
Building an 18th century ship
State-of-the-art technology at the service of authenticity: the ambition of the Hermione-La Fayette Association is to reconstruct the original frigate, a ship more than 200ft long, carrying three masts and a sail surface of 16,000 square feet, with a hull entirely made of oak as authentically as possible, while taking into account modern statutory constraints concerning seaworthiness.
Some following figures underline the extraordinary nature of this challenge:
- A mainmast reaching up 177ft above the bottom of the hull
- 2 000 oaks selected in the French forests
- A jig-saw puzzle of more than 400 000 pieces of wood and metal
- Over 1 000 pulleys
- 1 ton of oakum for the caulking
- 26 canons firing 12-pound balls on the battery deck and 8 canons firing 6-pound balls on the quarter-deck
Overview of the ship under construction (summer, 2007)
An exceptional navigation
The reconstruction of the Hermione aims at launching a frigate that might cross the Atlantic Ocean, with a crew of professional sailors. Indeed, once the frigate is completed, the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean from Rochefort to Boston in the wake of La Fayette can be done.
The definitive program of the ” Hermione La Fayette Trip ” has not been finalized yet, but the following cities of the American East Coast have been mentionned as possible stopovers: Annapolis, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Newport, Hampton, Portland, New York, Boston. Before coming back home to the quay of Rochefort and its port and be opened to visitors again.
The History
“La Fayette, we are here” are the words uttered by Lieutenant Colonel Charles E. U.S. Stanton (sent by General Pershing) on the tomb of the Marquis de La Fayette, Picpus cemetery in Paris, July 4, 1917. The same words will also be taken during the landing of American troops in France in 1944.
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (wikipedia) (1757 – 1834), often known as simply Lafayette, was a French aristocrat and military officer. Lafayette was a general in the American Revolutionary War and a leader of the Garde Nationale during the French Revolution.
In the American Revolution, Lafayette served as a major-general in the Continental Army under George Washington. Wounded during the Battle of Brandywine, he still managed to organize a successful retreat. He served with distinction in the Battle of Rhode Island. In the middle of the war he returned to France to negotiate an increase in French support. On his return, he blocked troops led by Cornwallis at Yorktown while the armies of Washington and those sent by King Louis XVI prepared for battle against the British.
In 1824, President James Monroe invited Lafayette to the United States as the “nation’s guest”; during the trip, he visited all twenty-four states. For his contributions to the American Revolution, many cities and monuments throughout the United States bear his name. Lafayette died on 20 May 1834, and is buried in Picpus Cemetery in Paris, under soil from Washington’s grave at Mount Vernon. He became a United States citizen during his lifetime, and received honorary United States citizenship in 2002.
“So that freedom lives, men will always have to stand up and fight against indifference or resignation.”
La Fayette was one of them, and remains a symbol to this day. Rebuilding the Hermione – the frigate he took to go to America – is a way of paying an authentic homage to La Fayette and keep the memory of a great adventure of solidarity between people.
In July 1997, the Hermione-La Fayette association embarked for a tremendous challenge : the reconstruction of the Hermione frigate – the ship which allowed La Fayette to join the American insurgents in the struggle for their independence in 1780.
The frigate Hermione, a witness of a golden age of French naval construction
In 1778, in Rochefort’s arsenal, the Hermione started to be built on a construction hold near the Corderie Royale. Over 210 feet from stern to bow, with 16.000 square feet of sail spread over 3 masts, the Hermione was built according to plans by the engineer Chevillard Aîné With the Courageuse, the Concorde and the Fée, the Hermione was part of a group of 4 frigates built in Rochefort. Belonging to the category of so-called light frigates, characterized by their speed and agility, the Hermione was fitted out with 26 cannons shooting 12-pound cannonballs, hence its name “frigate of 12”. With a length of 1732 and a width of 433 the frigate took 11 months of work for one hundred carpenters, blacksmiths, drillers, caulkers and convicts for a total of more than 35,000 days of work.
Hermione painting by Rossel de Cercy
A ship forever linked to the legend of La Fayette
“From the first moment I heard the name of America, I loved it; from the instant I knew it struggled for freedom, I was consumed with the desire to shed my blood for her I will count the days I got the chance to serve it, everywhere and anytime, among the happiest days of my life.” La Fayette
Summer 1776, the break is accomplished between England and the « insurgents », the supporters of the independence of English colonies in North America.
In January 1779, back from America where he had volunteered to serve the American cause, Gilbert Motier, Marquis of La Fayette, a French gentleman of 21, tried his best to obtain the official support of France.
He managed to convince King Louis XVI and his general staff to offer military and financial assistance to the troops of General Washington.
On March 21, 1780, the young major general La Fayette boarded the Hermione. He went to fight alongside the American insurgents who were struggling for their independence.
He landed in Boston after a 38 day crossing and met General Washington to announce the impending arrival of French reinforcement.
18 months later, the American insurgents, whom La Fayette had joined, won decisive victories, first in Chesapeake Bay, then in Yorktown, with the support of French troops led by Rochambeau and de Grasse.
Visit the Hermione Project Website: http://www.hermione.com/en/home/
