L'Hermione

[Eric Sea Frog]

Hi !

French Frigate Hermione was bound for Nth America to partake in the Independence War, and sunk on her way.
She is being reconstructed in Rochefort near La Rochelle, due to be christened in 2007; only 8 workers are working on the shipyard. At the time they were many, including convicts, and she was built in 11 months !
Some sites if you're interested. I suggest they organize XVIIIth C. boat meets as they already do with XIXth-XXth C. tall ships.
L'Hermione web page 3
http://www.ville-rochefort.fr/ville/hermione/Her-01.htm
http://www.ville-thouars.fr/divers/hermione/htm
http://flfa/free.fr/hermione.htm

The sites don't seem to be working? Hello AOL !
Eric

[martin schulz]

La page est introuvable!

[Tom Jackson]

http://www.hermione.com/

I wrote about the project in a short article in WB No. 158, Page 40-41.
She was difficult to photograph because of being surrounded by a
building and by scaffolding, but the construction techniques were
very impressive, as was the quality of oak being used. The joinery
was tremendous, and one photograph I worked into the article
is a very interesting floor-timber to first-futtock joint that the
French call the "paw of the wolf."

Equally impressive is the dockyard--HERMIONE's being built in one
end of a double drydock dating back to the 1700s. The quarter-mile-long
ropewalk building is a sight to see, although the interior unfortunately
has been cut up and a small museum occupies only one end.

There is a very fine maritime museum on the site, also--one of the
four satellite museums of the national maritime museum (the main museum
is in Paris, the other satellites are in Brest, Lorient, and Toulon.)

It's wonderful to see this type of construction, completely authentic.
To anyone travelling in that part of France, I would highly
recommend a visit.

Latest photos: <http://www.rochefort.com/ville/hermione/her04.htm>

[ 11-19-2002, 08:21 AM: Message edited by: Tom Jackson ]