Coast Guard Cutter Barque Eagle in New London. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Nicole Barger
New London – The Coast Guard Cutter Barque Eagle, “America’s Tall Ship” is scheduled to host free public tours this weekend at City Pier in New London, Connecticut.
The free tours will be open at the following times:
- Friday:
- Noon to 5 p.m., public tours
- Saturday:
- 9-10 a.m., Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, First Responder tour
- 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., public tours
- Sunday:
- 9-10 a.m., DHS, DOD, First Responder tours
- 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., public tours
At 295-feet, Eagle is the largest tall ship flying the stars and stripes, and the only active square-rigger in U.S. government service. Eagle was constructed in 1936 in Hamburg, Germany and originally commissioned as the Horst Wessel by the German Navy. The United States took Eagle as a war reparation following World War II.
With more than 22,300 square feet of sail and six miles of rigging, Eagle has served as an afloat classroom to future Coast Guard officers since 1946. A permanent crew of eight officers and 50 enlisted personnel maintain the ship and train up to 150 cadets at a time in the skills of navigation, damage control, engineering and deck seamanship.
