Coast Guard Cutter Eagle Gearing Up for Summer Training
The U.S. Coast's training barque is gearing up to begin summer training for more than 130 Coast Guard Academy cadets.
At 295 feet in length, the Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, known as “America’s Tall Ship,” is the largest tall ship flying the U.S. flag and the only active square-rigger in U.S. government service.
Scheduled to depart New London, Conn. on Saturday, May 8, Eagle will resume foreign port calls for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are extremely excited to be getting back underway for a full summer training season,” said Capt. Michael Turdo, Eagle’s commanding officer. “The opportunity to sail abroad allows us to represent the Coast Guard and the United States to the public and international community.”
Specific port call dates this summer are:
May 25–28: Azores, Portugal
June 11–16: Reykjavik, Iceland
July 7–10: Hamilton, Bermuda
July 23–26: New London, Conn.
July 30–August 2: Newport, R.I.
August 6–9: Portland, Maine
August 13–14: New London, Conn.
Constructed in 1936 by the Blohm and Voss Shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, and originally commissioned as the Horst Wessel by the German Navy, the Eagle was taken by the U.S. as a war reparation following World War II.
With more than 23,500 square feet of sail and six miles of rigging, the Eagle has served as a classroom at sea to future Coast Guard officers since 1946, offering an at-sea leadership and professional development experience.
A permanent crew of nine officers and 49 enlisted personnel maintain the ship and guide the trainees through an underway and in-port training schedule, dedicated to learning the skills of navigation, damage control, watchstanding, engineering and deck seamanship.