Photo Mathieu Prat

Her history

The Hermione is a tall ship, and one with a long history. Read on to hear all about it.

In 1992, the Hermione-Lafayette association was established thanks to a group of maritime-history enthusiasts, seeking to create an identical reconstruction of a frigate from the end of the 18^th century in the heart of Rochefort's historic arsenal. 

Construction began on 4 July 1997 and was completed 17 years later, in 2014. 

This recovery of maritime heritage – which has marked the identity of an entire region – took on its full meaning and significance with the launch of major maritime festivals in France from the 1980s onwards. As a result, the ship has served as the sole witness to the great era of the sailing navy. 

Key figures 

The Hermione is: 

• A large mast 54 metres above the keel
• A 44-metre hull
• Overall length: 66 metres
• More than 2,000 oaks selected from French forests
• A puzzle of over 400,000 pieces of wood and metal
• 800 pulleys
• 1 tonne of oakum for caulking
• 22 guns firing 12-pound bullets on the gun deck and six guns firing six-pound bullets on the forecastle deck
• 2,100 square metres of sails
• More than 25 km of ropes
• The loaded frigate has a total weight of 1,100 tonnes

Her crew 

Today, the crew of the Hermione is made up of 78 people, carrying out various roles! 

15 professional sailors and 56 volunteers taking part in manoeuvres (known as 'gabiers'), along with seven supernumeraries (technicians, journalists, etc.).

Officers, captains, lieutenants and sailors: together, they form a real organisation and a passionate team that continues to bring the history of the Hermione to life. 

Not to mention those who work all year round to keep it afloat and in good condition. Joiners and carpenters – they too are an integral part of this great adventure, and who knows? Tomorrow you could be too! 

Her journey

Since 2014, the Hermione has benefited areas much further afield than just Rochefort! In fact, since her sea trials, she has already made four trips and covered more than 22,000 miles. 90% of her seafaring is carried out only with the ship's sails – along American, French or African coasts. She has called in more than 34 ports, warmly welcomed on each occasion by a large number of people who have come to greet this majestic ship, curious to discover the boat for themselves.

 In total, she has travelled to and visited six French regions, 20 cities and an island, five countries and three continents. 

Her stay at the port of Bayonne

Tours from 30 October
The association is currently making every effort to make this site accessible. We will let you know about the different options on offer as soon as possible, but you can always come and meet us at the Bayonne Tourist Office to pick up your tickets.