Hermione (frigate)

See also: Hermione

The Hermione is the name of the frigate which led the Marquis of Fayette of France towards the the United States in 1780 enabling him to join the American insurrectionists fights about it for their independence.

It formed part, with Courageous the , the Concorde and the Fée , of a series of four frigates put in building site in Rochefort.

History

  • 1779 : Construction in eleven months, with Rochefort, by the manufacturer Henri Chevillard. Between May and December, the ship is tested successfully in the Bay of Biscay under the command of Vassor of the Key.

  • 1780 : Fayette embarks in Rochefort on the frigate on March 10th and after thirty-eight days of navigation, unloads with Boston to announce the sending of French reinforcement to the general Washington. It installs on June 2nd and fights the English frigate the Iris and sudden of important damage.
  • 1781 : the ship receives on its board the American Congress in May. It fights several time with the vessel the Astrée ordered by Jean-François de Lapérouse.
  • 1782 : after the end of the war of independence, the frigate joined France in February. It then accompanies a squadron in direction by India to help Pierre André de Suffren in his conflict with English. Peace is however quickly signed and the ship goes back to Rochefort in April 1784.
  • 1792 : The ship takes again service against England. It is failed on rocks on September 20th broad of the Croisic, in France with an important water way causing its shipwreck.
  • 1997 : Beginning of the rebuilding of this ship in Rochefort, in Charente-Maritime by an association.

Characteristics

It is about a Frigate known as " légère" because fast and handy.

It was armed with twenty-six guns drawing from the balls of twelve books (from where the term from Frigate from 12). It could take on board 255 men. It raises measurements of a ship of 1166 ton S, a length of head at the head of 44,2m, of a width to the Master 11,24m and of 5,78m couples hollow.

It has three bridges: the bridge of strapping man, the bridge of battery and the orlop deck. The first is used for the operation, the second with artillery and the third with the life of the sailors on board.

The rebuilding

It was decided in 1997 and must last more than 10 years (the initial ship was built in less than one year…). It takes place in one of both dry docks located at the end of the Royal Rope manufacture with Rochefort.

Several modifications were made on the original level for reasons of solidity and safety: the boards are bolted in particular and not pinned in order to avoid the secondary play at the duration of construction. In the same way, the masts are stuck and not assembled by metal circles, and this, in order to avoid the water infiltrations. The guns, for reasons of weight and also of safety, will be reduced and nonfunctional. Gréement remains in hemp but the aerofoil is envisaged into synthetic in order to having a better solidity and a less weight allowing an operation with less men.

A motorization is envisaged in safety as well as generators for lighting and a minimal comfort.

Gallery

Photographs of the rebuilding of the Hermione in Rochefort in 2005

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