“‘Hermione is a 32-gun Concorde-class frigate fitted for 12-pounder guns, completed in Rochefort by the Asselin organisation in 2014. She is a reproduction of the 1779 Hermione, which achieved fame by ferrying General La Fayette to the United States in 1780 to allow him to rejoin the American side in the American Revolutionary War.

We came across her at the VE day celebrations in Cherbourg, when we were doing our Yachtmaster passages. We then saw her again in the Bay of Biscay. She’s a beauty.

As far as possible, traditional construction methods were used although modern power tools were substituted for the period tools on some jobs.

English plans of a sister ship, Concorde, were used. The cost was estimated to be $22 million.[2] The original plans had been modified in several ways for reasons of strength and safety: planks had been bolted rather than pegged to avoid movement during the long period of construction. Similarly, the mast sections were fastened with glue rather than metal hoops to avoid water penetration. The cannons are lightweight and non-functional to save weight, and for legal and safety reasons. Hemp rigging was used, and the sails made of linen. Mind you, she let off a volley just before this video was shot - you can see the smoke at the beginning. Your humble camerman was too slow to catch it ))