CASTINE, Maine — Dozens of boats sailed into Penobscot Bay to greet it, cannon fire shot in welcome rang out across the harbor, and spectators waiting at the local town pier spontaneously broke into “La Marseillaise” as the Hermione pulled into the final port of its U.S. tour on Tuesday.
The replica tall ship, built to commemorate the 1780 journey of the Marquis de Lafayette across the Atlantic and the enduring friendship between France and the United States, gave a crowd estimated in the low thousands a Bastille Day sight they may never forget.
Conditions in Penobscot Bay were foggy early in the afternoon as boats gathered near Resolution Island, just east of Islesboro, to welcome the Hermione to Castine.
Chris Moore, a sophomore at Maine Maritime Academy, was one of about 20 of the school’s students, staff and relatives that sailed out on the MMA vessel Bowdoin to greet Hermione in the bay. He said several of the boats were sounding their foghorns when suddenly the 153-foot, square-rigged frigate loomed out of the fog.
“It was pretty sweet,” Moore said. “It was like [the Hollywood film] “Pirates of the Caribbean.’”
As the Hermione — written in the French style of “L’Hermione” on the bow and stern — emerged from the fog, the gathered boats fell in around it to follow into Castine’s harbor, Moore said.
“She led the way,” he said.
Bastille Day is celebrated each July 14 to mark the French Revolution, which resulted in the French monarchy being overthrown and a republic established.
The ship has an element of American patriotism, as well. The Marquis de Lafayette, a volunteer French aristocrat who fought against the British alongside George Washington in the Battle of Brandywine, had returned to Europe in 1778 to ask the King of France, Louis XVI, to help the American rebels’ fight against the United Kingdom.
The French king gave his assent and sent Lafayette, then only 22 years old, back across the Atlantic on Hermione to inform American leadership of France’s support.
On Tuesday, crew members of the replica ship, built over a 15-year period in Rochefort, France, sat high up in the rigging, the two main masts towering high above the water, as it slowly nudged closer and then up against the municipal pier on the local waterfront. A crowd of people eager to see the ship crammed up against the railing of the pier to get a good look, with some shouting greetings.
“Huzzah!” shouted one man.
“Hip hip hooray,” a group of people chanted nearby.
On board the ship, after it had tied up to the dock and lowered ramps to the float, Capt. Yann Cariou said the receptions the ship has gotten as it has made its way along the East Coast have been “very friendly and welcoming.” The ship had stopped in 12 other ports before reaching Castine on Tuesday.
“We are always very happy when people are so excited to see us arriving,” Cariou said.
Two young deckhands — Philemon Stines, 20, and Victor Weber, 21 — said they didn’t have much prior sailing experience but applied for jobs on board because they felt compelled to be part of the project. They also said they have never visited the United States before.
“It’s quite impressive because we have seen, so far, so many [people],” Weber said. “People in the United States are very welcoming. We are very glad to be here.”
As part of the festivities, traditional music was performed under a tent set up on the pier and vendor booths lined Main Street and the waterfront. After a brief parade on Main Street, a welcome ceremony was held on the pier.
Gov. Paul LePage said the ship’s visit to Castine helps to reinforce “a great alliance” between the two countries. LePage, who has faced recent criticism for making self-deprecating jokes about being descended from French emigres, indirectly addressed that criticism by referring to his ancestry.
“I am enormously proud of my heritage of being a Franco-American,” LePage said.
Also during the ceremony, Charles Shay, a distinguished military veteran and member of the Penobscot Nation, got a standing ovation from several hundred observers for his service in the Army during World War II, for which he received the French Legion of Honor medal in 2007.
Tickets for public tours of the ship’s top deck will be available on a first-come, first-served basis on Wednesday, July 15.
An exhibit about the original Hermione, which after transporting Lafayette across the ocean in 1780 was sent to spy on a British garrison at Castine, is on display at The Castine Historical Society at 17 School St.
For information on local events, visit castinehistoricalsocietyhermione.org.
