A Full Replica of Lafayette’s Ship Hermione Will Arrive to NYC For July 4th

In this week’s New York City events picks, we selected the Hermione Project Lafayette, a play at the French Institute Alliance Francaise about the young Marquis de Lafayette who sailed to America at age 19 as a volunteer soldier and became the youngest general in George Washington’s army. The play is actually part of a larger celebration and feat–a recreation of the 18th century ship, the Hermione, that brought Lafayette over with French troops to support the American Revolution in 1780.

The frigate, built by hand off plans from the Hermione’s sister ship, departed this past Saturday from Rochefort France for Yorktown, Virginia where it is expected to land on June 5th. It will sail up and down the east coast and Canada stopping at ports of call and will arrive to New York for the American Independence Day, July 2nd to 4th where there will be a harbor parade for it.

The idea for the Hermione began twenty years ago, and now at its completion, it is the tallest and most authentically built Tall Ship to be produced in the last 150 years. The Hermione is outfitted with 36 canons, 3 masts, 15 miles of rope, and 242 crew members. It is 177 feet tall and 213 feet long.

It is hoped that the ship will recall the “depth of the alliance between the two countries,” writes The New York Times. Check out the play Hermione Project Lafayette at the Alliance Francaise and look out for the boat in the New York harbor this summer.

Next, see the film locations for TURN about the Revolutionary War spy ring in New York. Get in touch with the author @untappedmich.