Sail Baltimore to Bring French Tall Ship to Inner Harbor
BALTIMORE, Md. (WJZ) -- Sail Baltimore will bring the French Hermione tall ship to the Inner Harbor to start off the 2015 season.
Sail Baltimore is a non-profit group that brings ships from all over the world to Baltimore for the public to admire.
Hermione will travel to Pier 1 from Rochefort, in Poitou-Charentes, France and remain open to free public tours over Father's Day Weekend from June 19-23.
The replica is 185' tall and 216' long, has three masts, 26 cannons, 1,000 pulleys, and a 242 person crew, making it the largest and most authentically built tall ship in the last 150 years.
While touring the impressive replica, the public will get a chance to see something that played an important role in America's history and independence.
The Hermione is a replica of the original French tall ship that brought French aristocrat and military officer Marquis de Lafayette to America in 1780 during the Revolutionary War.
In 1780, Lafayette informed America that France was going to send 5,500 troops to fight the British.
The Hermione was one of the French ships that formed a naval blockade to cut off support to British troops during the Battle of Yorktown in 1781, leading to the end of the Revolutionary War.
"The Hermione is a unique part of American history and of Lafayette, who is regarded as the French Founding Father of the United States," states Sail Baltimore's Executive Director Laura Stevenson. "She played a pivotal role in America's independence, as did Baltimore. Seeing her docked in the Inner Harbor will be really spectacular."
The ship will be open for visiting hours on June 19 from 12 p.m.-4 p.m. and June 20-21 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
For more information about Hermione's history or schedule, visit SailBaltimore.org.
