The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS "Mitscher" (DDG 57), right, provides a warm welcome to the French tall ship replica "Hermione" in the vicinity of the Battle of Virginia Capes off the East Coast of the United States. The original "Hermione" brought French General Marquis de Lafayette to America in 1780 to inform Continental Army General George Washington that a French army was headed for the United States to assist in the war effort. The symbolic return of the "Hermione" will pay homage to Lafayette and the Franco-American alliance that brought victory at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781. The "Hermione" will visit Yorktown (Virginia) on 5 June and then continue up the East Coast visiting cities of Franco-American historical significance.