Annoying Frenchies

Back in 1780 a young Frenchman set sail to the shores of America and landed in Boston’s harbour. He was bound to join General Washington. No further clue is required, right*? Well, the name of the frigate on which he travelled was “l’Hermione”, a boat that sank unceremoniously on September 20, 1793 off the coast of Brittany.

The Association Hermione-La Fayette has now made it its “raison d’être” to rebuilt the warship exactly as it was 225 years ago with techniques and tools of the time!

And while it took approximately 6 months in the 18th century to build a frigate, it will take as much as 12 years this time around, essentially due to financing concerns. But as this undertaking was launched in 1997 it should be completed by 2012 and launched with a maiden trip to Boston 2 years later.

So after Yorktown, the Statue of liberty and the always friendly approach France has had toward America, now comes another symbol of friendship. Notwithstanding the hard times she’s sometimes having from America, France simply doesn’t pay attention and keeps on displaying gestures of goodwill and amity towards America.

Now the question is: why are the French so annoying?

L’Hermione, La Fayette and America:

“The frigate which the King gave me”, as La Fayette phrased it, was the frigate “L’Hermione”, entirely built and outfitted in the shipyards of the Rochefort Arsenal. She was appointed - by order of Louis XVI’s royal cabinet - to the secret mission La Fayette had been entrusted with, a mission consisting in informing General Washington of the imminent arrival of sea and land military supports which were meant to help him in the rebellion of the American “insurgents” against British tyranny.