( CNN ) Lest we Americans forget that -- in the wellsprings of our nation -- France bore the torch of liberty alongside us , our old ally has launched a reminder from across the Atlantic 's waves . L'Hermione , with three sail masts and bright royal blue and gold markings , is a painstaking replica of an 18th century French frigate that fought with the United States ' founding fathers in the War of Independence . It set sail in France on Saturday for Virginia to retrace a journey through American history . In 1780 , the original Hermione was assigned to a French nobleman , who fought as a general in George Washington 's army against the British . His name : Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier , Marquis de Lafayette . Lafayette carried prized cargo -- news from King Louis XVI that France was throwing men , guns and treasure behind the Colonies , according to a historical summary on L'Hermione 's website . Lafayette , who had been wounded in the Revolutionary War had gone back to his homeland to lobby on behalf of Washington , who was also one of his close friends . Lafayette rejoined the fight on the front lines in Virginia , while L'Hermione did sea battle with its 32 guns against the English farther north . Its coppered bottom was an innovation that made it cut faster through the waters . In Chesapeake Bay , it joined the blockade that led the British to surrender . After the war , Lafayette returned to live in France . More than 200 years later , in 1997 , a group of people came up with the idea of reconstructing the frigate using the same building methods applied in the original . They claim the replica is the `` most authentically built Tall Ship in the last 150 years . '' After a year of testing , it set sail Saturday to retrace Lafayette 's journey , 235 years after the original , and France gave it a sendoff with the trappings of an act of state . `` L'Hermione is a luminous episode of our history . She is a champion of universal values , freedom , courage and of the friendship between France and the United States , '' French President Francois Hollande said in a speech . President Obama , in a letter to congratulate the launch , called France `` our Nation 's oldest ally . '' `` For more than two centuries , the United States and France have stood united in the freedom we owe to one another , '' he wrote . L'Hermione will ply across the Atlantic for 27 days en route to Yorktown , Virginia , where it plans to arrive in early June . After that , it will show itself off in 12 ports along the East Coast . It should be in New York City for the Fourth of July , possibly sharing Independence Day fireworks with the Statue of Liberty . Since 1886 , that gift from France -- also a reminder of our common bond -- has been America 's quintessential national symbol of freedom .
L'Hermione is a painstaking replica of an 18th century ship of the same name . The original fought with British colonists against the American in the Revolutionary War .