Since 1997, a team of enthusiasts has been rebuilding the eighteenth century man of war Hermione, the frigate that took La Fayette across the Atlantic in 1780 to America.
This great wooden ship, emblem of an important period of French maritime history, is coming to life again under the watchful eye of the public, fascinated by the work of the shipwrights, blacksmiths, sail makers, riggers, caulkers and all the other craftsmen.
The photos of Francis Latreille and the text of Yves Gaubert tell the story step by step, with illustrations by Gilbert Maurel and a preface by Howard H. Leach.