Specifications of Hermione | |
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Operations: | Sail Training |
Class: | A |
Rig: | Full Rigged Ship |
Year Launched: | 2012 |
Length Overall (LOA): | 66 Metres |
Home Port: | Rochefort, France |
MMSI: | 228052600 |
Replica of: | Hermione (1779) |
Hermione is a 66m class A full rigged ship launched in 2012.
Hermione, a replica of her namesake 12-pounder concorde-class frigate of the French Navy.
The original Hermione was launched in April of 1779. She is best known for having taken General Lafayette from Rochefort (France) to Boston (USA) in 1780 to deliver the secret news that he had secured 5,500 French troops and 5 frigates to support George Washington in fighting the American War of Independence.
The project to build a replica was first conceived in 1992 and while the original was built in just over 1 year the replica took 15 years to construct, having being laid down in 1997 and launched in 2012. Whilst the build was kept as close to the original plans as possible (from her sister ship HMS Concorde, formerly Le Concorde), safety and other reasons meant certain elements were changed. Examples would be the use of bolts instead of pins in the planks (to avoid movement during the lengthy construction period) and the introduction of an engine and electric generators.
In 2015 Hermione recreated the famed voyage of her namesake by taking on a four month voyage, crossing the Atlantic to North America and visiting a number of the east coast ports that played significant roles in the American Revolution.
In 2018 L'Hermione has partnered with the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) as a part of the OIF Libres Ensemble programme. L'Hermione will welcome up to 100 young people from french-speaking countries onboard for a chance to sail as volunteers, promoting shared experience among young Francophones and inspiring them to play greater roles in their own personal development.