French Frigate's barge

http://www.sdmaritime.com/contentpage.asp?ContentID=152

This is the San Diego Maritime Museum website which now has custody of the ship and has been slowly getting the ship back into full operation.  According to this site it sounds like she is not permitted to carry passengers but they sailed her a few times in 2007 and have had more sailings planned for the 2008 festival of sail.  When some friends visited the ship in 2004 and took some pictures, the studio still had possession of the ship and it was well worn, leaking, covered in bird dung, but were letting people visit the ship and marketed it a "well known movie prop" and like most props, once the interest disappaited and no longer needed, was to let sit idle until it sunk at the morings.  Looks like now it has a beter home.

Where did you hear of 'Rose' sailing again?  My understanding was that she was so chewed up from filming 'Master & Commander' that she was completely unseaworthy now (they drilled and sawed through many of the frames to run cables for camera crews)....

It is indeed a wonderful project to promote European / US relations as well as "green" construction.  I see that they are again sailing the ex Rose.  I heard from some who visited San Diago recently that she is still in fair to poor shape.

My guess is as soon as the ship is completed and sea-trialed, one of it's first 'ports o' call' will be Newport, Rhode Island (where General Rochambeau and Lafayette first landed in America during our revolution).  They have been working on the ship for quite some time, and large part of process has been wonderful luck!  Back at the end of the 1980's, there was a terrible storm with hurricane winds that blew over thousands of really ancient oak trees in France and the UK, and so the price (and availability!) of really big black oak timbers plummeted (and in fact, much of the timber for 'Hermione' was free, as it came from state or former royal properties).  Of course, this wood all had to be sawn and seasoned for several years, but what a wonderful thing to do with what had been a foresters nightmare!  They are also using the old Royal Shipyard as well, with all its facilities for making rope, etc, etc, just as it was in the 18th century, so you can't get much more authentic than that!  My guess is the ship will be ready for launching in a couple years, and then of course it must be rigged, jigged, fitted with cannons, stores, etc, etc before getting under way.... What a pity 'HMS Rose' will not be here to greet 'L'Hermione' when she arrives!

Searat,

Thanks frot he link as well.  I did not know this project was being well on its way.  Maybe someday she can sail with the Constitution and Surprise.

Searat-thanks so very much.  Just the type of thing I was looking for!

Bob

Well, I think you don't need to go too much farther than the website of the French Frigate 'L'Hermione,' now nearing completion in France.  Here is the 'Hermione's' 42' longboat:

And here are some other references from the site:

http://www.hermione.com/en/the-construction/2005/514-the-hermiones-little-dinghy-was-launched.html

http://www.hermione.com/en/the-construction/2006/507-making-of-the-big-dinghys-planks.html

http://www.hermione.com/en/the-construction/2007/495-manufacturing-of-the-body-of-the-longboat.html