Birth of a tall ship - the amazing reconstruction of the Hermione

by Sail-World Cruising on 22 Apr 2014 The replication of a tall ship is no mean feat. The Hermione was a 12-pounder Concorde class frigate of the French Navy, and in 1780 ferried their General Lafayette to the United States in 1780 to allow him to rejoin the American side in the American Revolutionary War. She grounded and was wrecked in 1793.

In 1997, a small group met together and discussed the idea of reconstructing an exact replica of the Hermione. The construction started in Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, France, with the new tall ship also to be named the Hermione.

Now it is almost completed - one of the most authentically built Tall Ships ever.

Here, first watch the astonishing video of the building of the Hermione:



While she was being built, however, the next dream was forged - that L'Hermione should sail to the USA - bringing to life the voyage made by LaFayette in 1780 and re-affirming the historic relationship between the United States and France.

L'Hermione's first voyage will take her across the Atlantic in 2015, and thus a new tall ship will grace the oceans of the world. For more information about this ambitious and imaginative project, go to the organisation's facebook page.