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L'Hermione 1779
Replica · Rochefort
L'Hermione was a 32-gun Concorde-class French frigate launched in 1779, famous for carrying the Marquis de Lafayette to America in 1780 with news of French military support for the American Revolution. A modern, historically accurate replica was built at Rochefort between 1997 and 2014 and remains active today as a sailing ambassador for Franco-American friendship, making this record cover both the Napoleonic-era-adjacent original and its celebrated replica.
Kits of this ship
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Plans
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Build logs
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Resources
+ Submit a resourceHistory & specifications
- French frigate Hermione (1779)Article
Historical background on the original 1779 Concorde-class frigate, her Revolutionary War service, and wrecking in 1793 — useful context for accuracy on the original ship rather than the replica.
- French frigate Hermione (2014)Article
Overview of the replica's construction history, dimensions, armament, and build methods, useful for baseline specifications and history when modeling the replica version.
- L'Hermione – Bringing History Back to Life (Classic Sailor)Article
In-depth article with photographer Nigel Pert's firsthand account and photo collection covering construction details, rigging materials (hemp/manila), and sail plan specifics useful for accurate detailing.
Museums & archives
- L'Hermione - Naval History and Heritage CommandMuseum
U.S. Navy museum page featuring a scale model of L'Hermione on display at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy, useful as a reference for how professional model-builders interpreted the ship.
- Ship's Reconstruction - Hermione, La Frégate de la Liberté (Official Site)Museum
Official Hermione-La Fayette Association page detailing the reconstruction process, including the use of full-scale drafting and the historical plan sources (sister ship Concorde's British-held draughts).
- Tours and Events - Hermione, La Frégate de la LibertéMuseum
Official visitor page describing deck-by-deck access (upper deck, battery deck, orlop deck) at the Rochefort site, useful for planning research visits to see deck layout and fittings firsthand.
Plans & drawings
- HERMIONE - 12-Pdr Frigate of the American War of Independence 1779-1793 (1:48 Scale Monograph by Jean-Claude Lemineur)Plans
Authoritative ANCRE monograph with 34 boards of 1:48 scale plans covering framework, frames, stern construction, masts and full rigging — the standard reference for scratch-building this frigate.
History
Service history
The original Hermione patrolled the Bay of Biscay early in the Anglo-French War, escorted convoys, and chased privateers before her most celebrated mission, ferrying Lafayette to Boston in 1780. She later took part in the Battle of Cape Henry and the action of 21 July 1781 before running aground and wrecking off Brittany in 1793. Because Hermione's own builder's plans had been lost, the 1990s-2010s replica project relied on plans of her sister ship Concorde, captured and surveyed by the Royal Navy, to recreate the vessel at Rochefort.
Notable facts
The replica took roughly 17 years and about 3,000 oak trees to build, launching in 2014 and completing a widely publicized transatlantic voyage retracing Lafayette's 1780 route, including stops at Yorktown, Mount Vernon, Annapolis, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston. In 2021 a routine inspection discovered fungal structural damage to the replica, prompting repair work and raising questions about her ability to sail again, a detail worth noting for anyone modeling her current in-service configuration.