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.

Coast Guard Cutter Eagle to be featured in Parade of Sail

LOS ANGELES - The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle is scheduled to participate in the 2008 Parade of Sails here. The Eagle will lead 12 other ships as they sail into Los Angles Harbor through Angels Gate.

The Festival of Sail will begin at 10 a.m. August 15, and will sail through the gate into the Port of Los Angeles. A 100-yard moving safety zone around each vessel participating in the Festival of Sail will be established, and will be enforced by the Coast Guard from 10 a.m. through 12 p.m., or until the conclusion of the event.

The boating public is reminded that passing through or anchoring within these safety zones is prohibited, unless authorized by the Coast Guard Captain of the Port, or his designated representative. While enjoying time on the water during the event, all mariners are reminded to have properly fitting Coast Guard approved lifejackets for all persons onboard, as required by law.

The Eagle, one of the fleet’s best known cutters, as an underway seamanship and leadership classroom for approximately 175 cadets and instructors from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., as well as for officer candidates from Officer Candidate School. Sailing on Eagle, cadets and officer candidates assist the permanent crew of 55 enlisted women and men, and six officers as they handle more than 20,000 square feet of sail and five miles of rigging. More than 200 lines must be coordinated during a major ship maneuver. The sails provide the equivalent of several thousand shaft horsepower and can propel the Eagle at speeds of up to 17 knots.

For more information on the Coast Guard Cutter Eagle visit http://www.cga.edu/display.aspx?id=2558.

For more information on the Festival of Sail, visit http://www.festivalofsail.org/.

Coast Guard Cutter Eagle to make LA port call

SAN PEDRO, Calif. - The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, “America’s Tall Ship,” is scheduled to arrive in the Port of Los Angeles as a part of its West Coast tour Aug. 1.

Free tours of the 295-foot, three-masted sailing ship are scheduled to be available to the public Friday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The ship will be moored at the Port of Los Angeles, Berth 87 for the tours.

This is the Eagle’s first trip to the West Coast in four years. The ship was a war prize from Nazi Germany, and is the only square-rigged sailing ship in the United States government service. It was originally commissioned the Horst Wessel in 1936 by Nazi Germany where it was one of three training ships used to train navy cadets. Taken as a war prize by the United States in 1946 and renamed, the Eagle now allows the Coast Guard’s future officers to apply the navigation, engineering, and leadership training they receive in classes at the Coast Guard Academy to real-life challenges on the sea.

The Eagle’s sailing schedule, daily photo and journal entries, and other information about the vessel can be found on the Eagle’s website at http://www.uscg.mil/hq/uscga/eagle/eagle.htm. The cutter is also scheduled to sail into Los Angeles Aug. 15 for a second port call here.

Coast Guard Cutter Eagle Promotes Reading in Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO - The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle and First Book, the Coast Guard’s signature charity, today hosted children’s story time and tours aboard the Eagle upon its visit to San Francisco for the Festival of Sail celebration. For every person who visits the Eagle during its port call in San Francisco, Scholastic, Inc. will donate a book to a disadvantaged child in the community. The Eagle had 12,000 visitors during its recent port call in Tacoma, Wash. while San Francisco had 5,000 visitors as of 6 p.m. on Friday, with thousands of visitors expected this weekend. The Eagle is docked at San Francisco’s Pier 30/32 through Sunday, July 27 and open for free public tours from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

To celebrate the U.S. Coast Guard and its continued commitment to reading, First Book will donate 400,000 new books from Scholastic, Inc. to recipient groups nationwide.

The Eagle, homeported in New London, Conn., is a three-masted barque that carries square-rigged sails on the fore and main masts. The 295-foot long sailing vessel has served the Coast Guard since 1946 and is used as a training platform for cadets and officer candidates to learn leadership, teamwork, seamanship and navigation skills. 200 lines and five miles of rigging control the Eagle’s more than 22,000 square feet of sail. As the largest tall ship flying the American flag, the Eagle is the only square-rigger in U.S. military service.

Coast Guard Cutter Eagle to make LA port call

SAN PEDRO, Calif. - The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, “America’s Tall Ship,” is scheduled to arrive in the Port of Los Angeles as a part of its West Coast tour Aug. 1.

Free tours of the 295-foot, three-masted sailing ship are scheduled to be available to the public Friday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The ship will be moored at the Port of Los Angeles, Berth 87 for the tours.

This is the Eagle’s first trip to the West Coast in four years. The ship was a war prize from Nazi Germany, and is the only square-rigged sailing ship in the United States government service. It was originally commissioned the Horst Wessel in 1936 by Nazi Germany where it was one of three training ships used to train navy cadets. Taken as a war prize by the United States in 1946 and renamed, the Eagle now allows the Coast Guard’s future officers to apply the navigation, engineering, and leadership training they receive in classes at the Coast Guard Academy to real-life challenges on the sea.

The Eagle’s sailing schedule, daily photo and journal entries, and other information about the vessel can be found on the Eagle’s website at http://www.uscg.mil/hq/uscga/eagle/eagle.htm. The cutter is also scheduled to sail into Los Angeles Aug. 15 for a second port call here.

Old Guard Meets The Future In San Francisco Bay

SAN FRANCISCO - In a historic rendezvous, the Coast Guard Cutter Barque Eagle, and the cutter Bertholf passed along side each other near the San Francisco Ferry Terminal today.

The Coast Guard Cutter Eagle is a three-masted barque, and carries square-rigged sails on the fore and main masts. The sailing vessel is 295 feet long, can attain speeds of up to 17 knots under full sail, and has the capacity to carry 239 passengers and crew. The Eagle has been in service within the Coast Guard since 1946, serving as a training platform for cadets and officer candidates to learn leadership, teamwork, seamanship, and navigation skills. She is the only square-rigged sailing vessel still actively serving in the Unites States military. The Eagle is visiting San Francisco and five other West Coast ports, including San Diego, Los Angeles, Astoria, Tacoma, and Victoria, British Columbia.

The Bertholf is the lead ship in the new Legend class of cutters designed to be the flagship of the modern Coast Guard fleet. Bertholf will improve operational readiness and enable the Coast Guard to fulfill its multi-mission roles more effectively through better sea keeping, higher sustained transit speeds, greater endurance and range, and a greater ability to launch and recover improved small boats, helicopters, and eventually unmanned aerial vehicles - all key attributes in enabling the Coast Guard to implement increased security responsibilities.

For additional pictures of the Bertholf and Eagle, just click on the link to our Flickr photostream in the sidebar

Coast Guard Cutter Barque Eagle Podcast

Petty Officer Tara Molle of the District 13 Public Affairs Staff hosts a special podcast on the Coast Guard Cutter Barque Eagle.

Coast Guard Cutter Eagle to visit Seattle

SEATTLE - The Coast Guard Cutter Barque Eagle, also know as “America’s Tall Ship”, is scheduled to make a one day stopover Tuesday in Seattle on its way to participate in the Tall Ships Tacoma 2008 event.

Two World War II era Coast Guard vessels with Puget Sound historical connections and another from the Vietnam War era will escort the square-rigged Eagle into Elliot Bay.

The Eagle will be welcomed to Seattle by a three boat Coast Guard Heritage Fleet, which spans more than a half century of Coast Guard history. The fleet consists of an 83-foot patrol boat built in 1944, the 65-foot buoy tender Blueberry, and an 82-foot foot patrol boat built in 1962 and formerly known as the Point Divide.

The Eagle’s crew has spent this summer training more than 130 Coast Guard Academy cadets and Naval Academy midshipmen. The Eagle has served as a floating classroom to future Coast Guard officers since 1946 offering fundamental leadership, teamwork and seamanship skills.

The Eagle is operated and maintained by 76 Coast Guard officers, enlisted and Auxiliary crewmembers. The crew guides the cadets through a rigorous work and training schedule underway that is filled with navigation, damage control, first aid, deck seamanship and much more.

The nineteen senior cadets aboard, or first class cadets, are responsible for direct organization, oversight and direction of third class cadets as well as working hand-in-hand with the senior enlisted members onboard as a Junior Officer. Eagle provides an excellent leadership opportunity, as the cadre manage their own cadet divisions, direct shipboard operations and juggle numerous collateral duties. This prepares them to do much of the same sort of tasks after graduation aboard a Coast Guard cutter, at air stations or sectors.

The Eagle’s crewmembers are trained Coast Guard instructors. This is critical because the Eagle’s primary mission is training future Coast Guard officers. All crewmembers from the least-experienced seaman to the highest-ranking officer undergo numerous break-in and qualification standards when they report aboard. This is to ensure the crew can meet the demands of the training environment aboard Eagle providing a safe and beneficial training program to more than 600 future officers per year

Built in the early 20th Century in the twilight era of sailing, Eagle has a rich and diverse history. The name “Eagle” has resonated throughout Coast Guard history and has been the title of seven separate cutters since the Coast Guard’s inception in 1790.

The present day Eagle was originally a training vessel for the German navy in World War II named Horst Wessel. In 1946, following WWII, the Horst Wessel was taken as a war prize by the United States and is the seventh ship named Eagle in Coast Guard history.