WELCOMING SHIP The guided-missile destroyer USS Mitscher, right, welcomes a replica of the Revolutionary War-era French tall ship Hermione off the coast of Virginia, June 2, 2015. The original Hermione brought French Gen. Marquis de Lafayette to America in 1780 to inform Gen. George Washington, commander of the Continental Army, that French soldiers were headed for the United States to assist in the war effort. SHARE: Download: Full Size (0.06 MB) Credit: VIRIN: 087026-V-BYT99-984.jpg Photo Gallery