EVENEMENTS PONCTUELS

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Le majestueux trois-mâts, symbole de l'amitié franco-américaine, s'est amarré dans la matinée au Pier 15, au sud de Manhattan, non loin du pont de Brooklyn.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Plusieurs coups de canon ont salué son arrivée, avant que l'équipage en tenue d'époque n'entonne une série de chants de marins, salué par des "bienvenue à New York" des spectateurs.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        En 1780, le jeune marquis de La Fayette était venu à bord de L'Hermione apporter le soutien de la France aux insurgés américains contre l'Angleterre, un an avant la bataille décisive de Yorktown (est des Etats-Unis) à l'automne 1781.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         La copie conforme de l'Hermione, construite à Rochefort (ouest), avait quitté la France le 18 avril. Elle était arrivée le 5 juin à Yorktown, sa première escale américaine, après une traversée de l'Atlantique sans encombre de plus de 5.200 milles marins.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Après trois jours de festivités à New York, l'Hermione y sera ce samedi l'invitée d'honneur de la parade nautique organisée pour la fête nationale du 4 juillet, célébrant la déclaration d'indépendance du 4 juillet 1776. Elle devrait y saluer la statue de la Liberté.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Mercredi, des habitants de Rochefort sont venus spécialement saluer l'arrivée de la frégate qui a redonné le moral à leur ville.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              "C'était émouvant, j'en pleurais en la voyant arriver", confie à l'AFP Danielle Chasseriau, 63 ans, responsable pastorale venue de France avec son mari et leur fils. "On a suivi la construction pendant 17 ans, il y a eu tellement de savoir-faire, d'intelligence, pour récréer ce bateau qui, à son époque, était une Formule 1".

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           - Symbole fort d'amitié -

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Heny Kissinger, 92 ans, l'ancien secrétaire d'Etat américain, prix Nobel de la paix en 1973 et président honoraire du conseil d'administration de l'Association "Hermione-La Fayette" est là aussi.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         "Je suis là car c'est un grand symbole de l'amitié entre les Etats-Unis et la France, c'est important de rappeler que la France a tellement contribué à l'établissement des Etats-Unis", dit-il à l'AFP.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       "Il ne pourrait pas y avoir de symbole plus fort de l'amitié franco-américaine", a également déclaré le consul général de France à New York Bertrand Lortholary, après qu'une fanfare eut joué les hymnes américain et français à bord de l'Hermione.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Parmi les dignitaires aussi présents, le maire de Rochefort Hervé Blanché et le président du Conseil régional de Poitou-Charentes Jean-François Macaire.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Des anciens combattants, des enfants des écoles sont là aussi, ainsi que des Américains francophiles qui n'auraient manqué pour rien au monde cette arrivée spectaculaire au pied des gratte-ciel.

Certains Français sont venus de Vancouver, au Canada, à plus de 5.000 kilomètres.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          "C'est émouvant le culte qu'ils ont ici pour La Fayette", s'émerveille Danièle Poudenx, venue de Vancouver. Elle est déjà allée saluer l'Hermione à Philadelphie. "On a beau habiter loin, on est toujours Français", dit-elle.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Le commandant du trois-mâts, Yann Cariou, en superbe uniforme d'époque, qui avait dû pour ce voyage crééer son propre mode d'emploi d'une navigation à l'ancienne, est euphorique.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Le voyage a été facile, dit-il à l'AFP. "C'est le meilleur bateau du monde et le meilleur équipage du monde", ajoute-t-il, avant de souligner le "symbole très fort" d'être là pour le 4 juillet. "C'est l'aboutissement, le point fort du voyage américain".

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Après Yorktown, L'Hermione avait fait escale à Mount Vernon près de Washington, Annapolis, Baltimore et Philadelphie, hauts lieux de la révolution américaine.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    New York avait été la dernière ville libérée par George Washington en 1783. Elle était devenue brièvement capitale du pays de 1785 à 1790.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Après les célébrations du 4 juillet, le célèbre trois-mâts reprendra sa route vers le nord, avec des escales prévues à Greenport, Boston et Saint-Pierre et Miquelon notamment, avant son retour en France, le 10 août prochain.