L'Hermione Update, April 2015

I have been pretty busy the last few weeks, and the news has been pretty slow, so I haven't been posting a whole lot of articles lately. I have been trying to keep a look out for interesting things and I have posted a couple of items on our Twitter feed. I have also been keeping an eye on L'Hermione and her progress on the build up to her upcoming voyage to America.

So far things are going good since she was moved to La Rochelle, they have tested the replacement engines again and everything is working perfectly. Over this last weekend they had a bit of a farewell party. I have been looking for more information on her stern lantern, so far, it has still not been mounted.

Here is a video, in French of course, of the presentation of L'Hermione's “certificat de navigation,” issued bythe French Maritime Affairs authority, and presented by French government Minister Ségolène Royal. It basically means she has past all her tests and she has been certified as seaworthy and ready for her Trans-Atlantic voyage, which is scheduled to begin on April 18'th.


I was going to provide a translation of the Youtube transcript, through Google Translate, but I didn't include it because it was really quite bad. Anyway, here are a couple of other videos showing some of the other festivities, period costumes, and some of the regatta serenading L'Hermione in the harboe at La Rochelle.




One final note, if you have a spare couple of million lying around doing nothing, you can pick yourself up one of General Lafayette's old châteaus! The 20 room châteaus is located in Touraine, France, and it is absolutely stunning!


You can learn more about the history of this châteaus, and see some great pictures, over at the official real estate listing HERE!

10 days and counting!

gues what i just found out we started rebuilding the 120gun "Adler von Lübeck"

http://www.welt.de/print/wams/motor/article12524556/Die-Adler-von-Luebeck-wird-nachgebaut.html

Interesting, thanks for the link mate! I certainly hope this project succeeds, that medieval museum complex sounds pretty cool too!

...Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding... Pas de vent, Brouillard épais.

This is how l'Hermione looked at 7:30 this morning, the day of her departure to the New World.
Just overheard a report on TV about it departing île d'Aix later this afternoon. Apparently there are festivities hapenning, and at 14:30 local time François Hollande along with ministers of Defence and Ecology, Jean-Yves Le Drian and Ségolène Royal climbed on board for official departing ceremony.

I do not have much time at the moment to search much, but I hope this will remind those interested and you'll be able to find out more

It is happening for real and on schedule!! New World here we come!

I found out that because of apparently uncertain weather, the depart is happening rather slow, at 20:30 l'Hermione reaching île d'Aix from mouth of Charente, where I believe she was earlier today to parade for the festivities. You can follow her course in real time on this link, provided by Ship Finder. Also it shows it's speed.
Near by you can spot a ship with a call-sign of 22872800 FR, which is anti-submarine frigate of French Navy, Latouche-Tréville, given an escort role for 1st day of l'Hermione's voyage. Among it's ranks, current l'Hermione commander Yann Cariou, served for 30 years.
Also earlier today, F.Hollande said something very french : "[...]a proof must be made, of will and engagement, so that France could be proud [...] of being capable, as it has always been, of panache!"

Thanks for the links @Ashinokami! I didn't have much free time yesterday and wasn't able to post anything about her. I was able to find out that she did indeed have her stern lantern mounted last weekend after I posted the above article, which means she is fully decked out now in all her glory!



@Officerpuppy, thanks for the BBC link mate, it's good to read a full blown article written about her in English for a change!