The association that owns the vessel, a replica of the ship used by La Fayette to aid American insurgents, is struggling under the costs of a renovation project launched in Anglet, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. A gathering took place on Saturday, 10 January, in the Basque Country.
The stunning silhouette of the Hermione sailing proudly with all sails unfurled along the American coast was seen in 2015, two and a half centuries after the French expeditionary force led by the famous Marquis de La Fayette (1757–1834) crossed the Atlantic to assist George Washington’s insurgents against the British crown. The image was beautiful, but the dream was short-lived.
Almost twelve years after its first voyage, following an extraordinary seventeen-year construction project, the replica of the “Frigate of Liberty” is itself seeking a savior. The Hermione-La Fayette association, owner and operator, has declared a “general mobilization” and organized a gathering on Saturday, 10 January, at the commercial port of Bayonne, Anglet (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), where the ship has been since 2021.
By exceptionally opening the restoration site to the public, which had closed for the season on 5 January, the association hopes to raise awareness about the Hermione’s plight, threatened to remain in dry dock in the Basque Country, far from its home port in Rochefort (Charente-Maritime). “We are at a critical moment,” confirms Emilie Beau, the association’s CEO, engaged since 18 September 2025 in judicial recovery proceedings following a cessation of payments in April of the same year. Since the frigate’s last voyage in Normandy in 2019 for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, setbacks have continued.
While the ship was being careened in La Rochelle to prepare for a Northern Europe voyage in spring 2022, with the support of Atout France, national tourism promoter, damage to the wood at the bow and stern below the waterline revealed the presence of wood-eating fungi. The decision was made to move the vessel to Anglet for repairs in a dry dock basin. But faced with the extent of the damage and soaring cost estimates, the association was unable to fund the continuation of the work. “The hull restoration is estimated at 10 million euros,” says Emilie Beau. “We have already invested 5 million and have completed more than half the work.”
The rear structural part has now been rebuilt, and the front section, where the bow timbers must be replaced, is “well advanced.” The ship’s bottom is exposed to air to be dried and cleared of fungi. Remaining tasks include checking for residual infestations in central areas before starting planking, caulking for waterproofing, and reinstalling ballast and equipment to make sailing possible. Overall, “90% of the ship is in very good condition,” emphasizes Emilie Beau.
The association celebrates that “almost three times more people donated in 2025 than in 2024, with more than 430,000 euros collected, including 130,000 euros from the year-end campaign (November–December),” but it is still far from sufficient. Even though the association obtained tax-deductibility for donations in 2023 by being recognized as serving the public interest, it still needs to raise 5 million euros to complete the project and ensure the Hermione can “float at least” to leave Bayonne.
Completing the repairs
The association’s annual revenue of 1.5 million euros, generated from 2,000 member fees, ticket sales, and training for private foundations and public organizations, cannot support the project alone. Public partners have already contributed, including the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Regional Council (750,000 euros), the Charente-Maritime Departmental Council (539,000 euros), and the Rochefort Océan agglomeration community (315,000 euros). For the first time, the State contributed 1.5 million euros. Economic conditions and the association’s difficulties, however, cooled their enthusiasm. In 2025, the departmental council and the agglomeration refused to pay their final portion of the grant, totaling nearly 360,000 euros combined. A “hard blow,” says Emilie Beau, who prefers to praise the unwavering support of the region and the recent State contribution. “It is an unprecedented event, somewhat like the Notre-Dame cathedral fire. If we can overcome this impasse and secure the ship’s operation, it will continue to sail.”
Potential buyers who came forward after the opening of the collective procedure also wish to see the Hermione afloat. One proposal came from a group of former riggers of the ship, heading an Association for the Resumption of the Frigate. A second project is led by Tugdual Jaouen, great-nephew of Michel Jaouen, a priest and maritime figure. He proposes to “model the association as a maritime company” that would collect fees in exchange for sailing rights, as announced to Sud Ouest. None of these offers are funded.
Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, ambassador in charge of maritime issues and president of the International Sea Center, based at the Corderie Royale in Rochefort and a historical partner of the Hermione, aims to bring the frigate back “by any means,” even as a museum ship. A project is under study. “I would have liked to sail aboard her; I haven’t had the chance,” says Hervé Blanché, mayor (Les Républicains) of Rochefort, who does not want to “indebt the city” to save the Hermione. For the association, whose fate will be decided in court on 28 January, it is a race against time. “If we don’t want the deficit to last ten years, we must go all out,” warns Emilie Beau, who has not given up on seeing the Hermione participate in 2026 in the 400th anniversary of the French Navy and the 250th anniversary of American independence, and even in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
