Replica 18th Century French Warship In Annapolis
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- A voyage taken in the 18th century is revived for today's generation.
Amy Yensi has more on what's drawing the crowds.
Visitors line up for hours to get inside the ship. Some saying the replica is so impressive, they can only imagine what the original was like.
Behold--L'Hermione has arrived. Currents of excitement ripple through Annapolis.
"All the ropes. I heard it was 15 miles of rope," said one visitor.
The 18th century French frigate, or warship, took 17 years to build. All the wood came from oak trees in France.
The entire ship is hand crafted--just like the original in the 1700s.
Dr. Charles Neumeyer is a marine historian and says the U.S. is a free country because of France.
"We owe a lot to the French for independence. It it wasn't for the French being our ally during the revolution, we may not have pulled it off. They had a navy, we didn't," Dr. Neumeyer said.
L'Hermione makes some visitors sing and others speak French.
"This is a very beautiful and fast ship," one visitor said.
One World War II veteran is visiting to honor American naval tradition.
"I have a lot of good memories and some bad memories," he said.
In June, the ship arrived in Virginia to commemorate the victory of Yorktown in 1782 and is making its way up the East Coast, leaving waves of admirers along the way.
The next stop for the ship is Baltimore City. It arrives at the Inner Harbor Friday and will remain there through the weekend.
On July 4, the ship will visit the Statue of Liberty in New York City.
