A large crowd braved the heat and humidity June 16 to welcome to Annapolis a replica of the 18th century French frigate L’Hermione.
L’Hermione was the ship that carried the Marquis de Lafayette from Rochefort, France, to Boston in 1780 with the welcome news that the French were sending arms, ships and men to help the colonists fight the British.
The symbolic return of L’Hermione pays homage to Lafayette and this historic relationship between France and the U.S.
L’Hermione sailed 3,819 miles to reach Yorktown, Virginia, where she began her journey up the East Coast. The trip across the Atlantic took 27 days.
L’Hermione will continue travelling up the eastern seaboard, stopping in Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, Greenport, Newport, Boston, Castine, and Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, before heading home to France.
[mappress mapid=”16258″]
Image: US Navy