Luck of the Draw – Coast Guard Cutter Eagle

Los Angeles - She was commissioned Horst Wessel and served as a training ship for German naval cadets throughout World War II.  A translated-diary from a German naval cadet who trained aboard the Horst Wessel in 1937 is available.

Following World War II, the Horst Wessel, in the age-old custom of capture and seizure, was taken as a war prize by the United States. A lottery of sorts was held between the former Soviet Union who drew number 1, followed by Great Britain, number 2, and then the United States, number 3. Before the results of the draw were officially announced, the U.S representative, through quiet diplomacy, convinced the Soviets to trade draws and on May 15, 1946, the Horst Wessel was commissioned into U.S. Coast Guard service as the Eagle. On her maiden voyage to the United States from Germany the Eagle followed Columbus’s route across the mid-Atlantic.

Since being commissioned in 1946 the Eagle has played a role in several historic and noteworthy moments in our country’s history including hosting OpSail in New York as part of the World’s Fair in 1964 and again she hosted OpSail in 1976 during the United States’ Bicentennial celebration. In 1986 she hosted the centennial celebration for the Statue of Liberty. Just this past week the Eagle served as a backdrop for the commissioning ceremony of the Coast Guard’s first National Security Cutter, Bertholf, in Alameda, California.

In addition to its ceremonial duties the Eagle primarily serves as a seagoing classroom for approximately 175 cadets and instructors from the Coast Guard Academy.

Starting on Friday August 15, 2008 the public will have an opportunity to not only see the Eagle lead the Festival of Sail parade into Los Angeles Harbor, but also get up close and personal by taking advantage of rare public tours until Sunday afternoon. “This is a very special opportunity for southern Californians to visit such a historic ship, the last time the Eagle was in port here was about four years ago. “ said Coast Guard Captain James Sommer, Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard base in San Pedro, California.

Free public tours of the football field long sail ship are scheduled to be held Friday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. The ship will be moored at the Port of Los Angeles, Berth 87 for the tours.

Two Academy Cadets Face Criminal Charges

TheDay.com reports that two Coast Guard Academy cadets were arrested early Sunday morning.

According to the Groton Town Police logs, Leanna R. Minton, 21, was charged at 3:30 a.m. with third-degree assault and breach of peace. Keenan R. Prather, 21, was charged at the same time with breach of peace.

Police would not release any further details on Sunday pertaining to the arrests, including the location.

A Coast Guard spokesman confirmed that the two are students at the Coast Guard Academy but said the police have not yet provided the school with the details that led to the arrests.

Both students are being held on $10,000 bond.

You Can Help Launch Sailing Vessels to Train Coast Guard Academy Cadets

New London, CT –The U.S. Coast Guard Academy wants modern sail training vessels to train Coast Guard Academy Cadets in leadership. According to Rear Admiral J. Scott Burhoe, Superintendent of the Academy, “there is no better leadership classroom than a sailing vessel that offers the Cadet the opportunity for small unit command and control in the maritime environment for which the future officer has been called”. The goal is to build eight boats, one for each Cadet Company. These boats would supplement summer waterborne training. Boats would be used for weekend cruises when Academy juniors and seniors would earn qualifications as “Crew Chiefs” and, in turn, train freshmen and sophomores.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary suggests that those interested in supporting the program should contact Donald B. Trone, Director of the Institute for Leadership (412-860-4982) or via Email: trone@cgaleaders.org . The Institute for Leadership is the coordinating body for supplementary leadership and ethics programs at Academy.

As the smallest of the five U.S. service academies, the Coast Guard Academy offers an elite higher education, rigorous professional development, and honor and tradition of a military academy, but with a more personalized approach. For more information see http://www.cga.edu/

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed civilian component of the United States Coast Guard. Created by an Act of Congress in 1939, the Auxiliary directly supports the Coast Guard in all missions, except military and direct law enforcement actions. The Coast Guard Auxiliary is an integral part of the United States Coast Guard. For more information visit http://www.cgaux.org/