French frigate Hermione (1779)

Hermione was a 32-gun Concorde-class frigate of the French Navy. Designed for speed, she was one of the first ships of the French Navy to receive a copper sheathing. At the beginning of the Anglo-French War of 1778, she patrolled in the Bay of Biscay, escorting convoys and chasing privateers. She became famous when she ferried General La Fayette to the United States in 1780 in support of the rebels in the American Revolutionary War. She took an incidental role in the Battle of Cape Henry on 16 March 1781, and a major one in the action of 21 July 1781.

History
France
NameHermione
BuilderRochefort
Laid downDecember 1778
Launched28 April 1779
Commissioned11 May 1779
In serviceJune 1779
FateRan aground and wrecked due to a navigation error of her pilot at Le Croisic on 20 September 1793
General characteristics
Class and typeConcorde-class 12-pounder frigate
Tons burthen550 tons; 1160 ton burthen
Length44.2 m (145 ft)
Beam11.24 m (36.9 ft)
Draught5.78 m (19.0 ft)
Speed
  • 9 knots close-hauled
  • 13 knots broad reach
  • 11 knots running
Complement
  • 6 officers
  • 10 guards
  • 292 seamen
Armament

Hermione grounded and was wrecked in 1793. In 1997, construction of a replica ship started in Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, France; the new ship is likewise named Hermione.

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