HERMIONE
The very creation of Rochefort, was a real challenge in itself. Within a few years, at the end of the XVIIIth century, there rose in a loop of the Charente River a maritime arsenal and a town. A gigantic enterprise built on an inconvenient plot of marshland and requiring difficult technical feats, such as the foundation of the 'Corderie Royale' on an immense raft made of oak, and the often dangerous building of the dry docks.
Restoring an identity to Rochefort after the closure of the arsenal, which was the reason why the town was built, has taken twenty years and has given the town a new challenge. Following the restoration and the reconversion of the buildings and works of Colbert's Sea Arsenal, the rebuilding of the Hermione is incorporated into this tradition.
The Maritime Arsenal of Rochefort has always been a place of transmission of knowledge and at the same time a place of technological innovation. In particular, it invented and tested the capstan, the 'bateau-porte', the terraced dry docks, the kneading machine and the first submarine. The tradition continues today with parts of the Airbus being constructed next to the dockyard of the Hermione. Knowledge evolves and Rochefort passes from sea to air, but still remains in the forefront of technology.
The Hermione is not just a mere replica. It is more than just a reconstruction. The rebuilding is a work of real archaeology. It has been necessary to recover long-lost techniques and knowledge to understand the different ways in which things were made at the time and to reinvent them all from scratch. This is a particularly informative and valuable experience. The project of the Hermione will last for about ten years, which will enable you to follow all the phases of its reconstruction.
'Ever present but never visible, haunting dreams more than ever, the sea is the great impossible love of Rochefort, the memory of the Golden Age, the longing for open seas....Rochefort has chosen energy and its music: cheerfulness! The sea has left! Well, we'll make it come back! The ships have disappeared! Then we'll construct new ones (Erik Orsenna)!'. Le Jardin des Retours (the Garden of Return) brings forth maritime expeditions. The Hermione will recall the beauty that there is to follow the craziest dreams...!
A 12-pounder frigate is a particular vessel of the XVIIIth century, handy and elegant, with modest dimensions in comparison with those floating fortresses, the 74, 80, or 110-gun ships.
The first French 12-pounder frigate was built in Rochefort in 1748 as an experiment and was the forerunner of all the 12-pounder frigates launched in the XVIIIth century. It was called... the Hermione. A decision on November 2, 1778, signed and sealed by the King, led to the construction in six months in the Rochefort Arsenal of a second Hermione. It is this Hermione that will serve as a model for the construction of its replica.
The Hermione is intimately linked with the history of the American War of Independence. In March 1780, La Fayette embarked on the Hermione for one of the most important events of the XVIIIth century: the landing of the regiments of France at Newport on July 11, 1780. On March 16, 1781, the Hermione took part in the battle of Chesapeake.
On May 4, 1781, the American Congress was welcomed on board for a reception in the course of which the victory of Chesapeake was officially announced: the victory of the fleet which preceded that of the army at Yorktown on October 19, 1781 and one that was destined to be decisive in the independence of the United States. Besides its diplomatic and utilitarian role the Hermione brought the ideas of the Age of Enlightenment to the young American republic. In turn, La Fayette brought back to France the basis of the great principles of the Declaration of Human Rights of 1789.
Rochefort has always been a town with low buildings, dominated by the masts of boats just as other towns are by church towers. The masts of the Hermione will become a living symbol of this rich heritage.
' Friday, 17 March, 1780: in the outer roads, there lies the HMS Tonnant of 80 guns, which the Hermione salutes three times, " Long Live the King " and the frigate, the Active, of 28 guns, just as 25 to 30 merchant ships of Bordeaux, arrived from Saint Domingue (Log book of the Hermione).'
The Hermione is to be part of a vaster project, respectful of the environment and incorporating the complete area of the estuary of the Charente River. The reconstruction of the Hermione is placed within a unique geographical and historical context : Rochefort and its inland arsenal of course, but also a sea arsenal comprising the outer roads and the fortified strongholds set up on the islands of Oleron and Aix, Port des Barques and Fouras...
Pre
Assembled, Handcrafted Wood Model.
Models
are shipped with the sails unassembled. Step-by-step instructions are included.
All rigging, lines and stays have brass hooks attached, which easily hook into
eyelets on mast, boom, sprit or deck. Assembly takes less than 20 minutes.
ABOUT SHIP MODEL
The ship model made by hand from a variety of high quality woods. The ship model is constructed by skilled craftspeople using plank on frame construction methods, then finished and detailed to the exacting standards you see here.
30"L 28 1/2"H
