A replica of a majestic 18th century tall ship that brought French General Lafayette to America arrived in New York Wednesday to take part in July 4 Independence Day festivities. The original three-masted Hermione brought the general to America to rally US rebels fighting for independence from Britain. To much fanfare and applause, the ship docked at Pier 15 in south Manhattan on the East River. The Hermione replica, which took almost two decades to build, left from France’s western coast on April 18 and retraced the 3,700-mile (6,000-kilometer) journey across the Atlantic. It arrived June 5 for a first stop in Yorktown, Virginia, where American forces led by General George Washington and French soldiers scored a decisive victory over the British in 1781, prompting their

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