A majestic replica of a French warship that sailed across the Atlantic to help in the American war of independence is retracing the journey made in 1780.
The replica of the French navy frigate L'Hermione, which played a key role in the American Revolution. Photo: AFP
The frigate, Hermione, took about seventeen years to build, at a cost of about $30 million.
The original vessel was commanded by the Marquis de Lafayette, who delivered troops and funds to his friend George Washington.
Its arrival boosted the American revolutionaries, who went on to win their fight against British imperial rule.
The three-master successfully passed sea trials in the Bay of Biscay and now embarks on its maiden voyage: a transatlantic crossing to where its namesake once roved with the Americans.
Manning the ship is a crew of 18 professional sailors and 54 young volunteers, some of whom have never been at sea before. They have six weeks of wind and volatile weather ahead of them, before their next sighting of land.
Symbolically that will be at Yorktown at the opening of Chesapeake Bay - the scene in 1781 of England's final surrender to George Washington at the end of the American Revolution.
The Hermione set sail on Saturday night after festivities attended by President Francois Hollande. Once in the United States it will travel up the eastern seaboard and attend 4 July celebrations in New York.
