Hermione, the famous Frigate of Lights in the middle of a storm

The blow is heavy for “Freedom Frigate”. From September 2021, the famous three masters, a faithful replica Hermionethe French warship that took the Marquis de La Fayette to support the rebels against the British during the American War of Independence is condemned to remain in dry dock at the port of Bayonne (Pyrenees-Atlantiques) indefinitely.

The case begins in the spring of 2021, during a routine maintenance inspection, when basement polypores and lensites, two species of xylophagous fungi (which attack wood, editor’s note)on some sides pieces of wood were accidentally found forming the outer skin of the bark. Centered aft to port, just below the waterline, the fouled area was quickly cordoned off and two temporary planks were installed, covered and covered with copper sheeting to ensure maximum watertightness. A temporary fix that allows Hermione