Hermione Frigate
The Hermione is one of the most audacious historical reconstruction projects in the world: a full-scale, fully seaworthy replica of the 18th-century frigate that carried the Marquis de Lafayette to America in 1780 to support the Revolution. She sits at Rochefort's Arsenal quay like a time machine you can actually board.
Seventeen Years in the Making
Volunteers and master shipwrights spent 17 years building the Hermione using period techniques — hand-cut oak frames, traditional caulking, hand-sewn canvas sails — before she sailed to the United States in 2015 retracing Lafayette's historic crossing.
Below decks you walk through the gun deck, the officers' quarters and the hold, all fitted out with period-accurate detail that makes the cramped, gunpowder-scented reality of 18th-century seafaring utterly tangible.
On Deck and Up Close
Guided tours run in English and French and include access to the captain's cabin, where a costumed interpreter sometimes brings Lafayette's story to life with theatrical flair.
On sunny weekends the upper deck offers a spectacular view across the Arsenal basin and the Charente estuary — one of the finest photo vantage points in the city.
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