US-FRANCE-SAILING-HISTORY-HERITAGE

Re-enactors fire muskets near the Sons of the American Revolution's French Monument on the campus of St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland, June 16, 2015, during a ceremony welcoming the French frigate Hermione," a replica of the ship that brought General Lafayette to the United States in 1780 to rally the American rebels against the English Crown. The journey started from the mouth of the River Charente, in Port des Barques, where Lafayette boarded on March 10th, 1780. The transatlantic crossing took more than three weeks, before making landfall at Yorktown, Virginia. As the Hermione moves up the Eastern seaboard, it will be accompanied by a range of pier side activities. These include in some ports a traveling exhibition and a heritage village that will be accessible to the public. The Hermione Voyage 2015 is part of an expansive outreach program with cultural events, exhibitions, and educational programs that celebrate the trip and mark its progress. A robust digital activation for the voyage expands the reach of the project to millions of people. AFP PHOTO/JIM WATSON (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)