PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Coast Guard Cutter Eagle is scheduled to participate in the 2012 Parade of Sail arriving at the East Otter Berth in Norfolk next to Nauticus, as part of their 2012 cruise celebrating Operation Sail 2012 and the bicentennial of the War of 1812 at noon Friday.
The Eagle will be open for free public tours at the following dates and times:
– Friday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
– Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
– Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
At 295 feet in length, the Eagle is the largest tall ship flying the stars and stripes and the only active square rigger in U.S. government service.
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 United States 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 floating classroom to future Coast Guard officers since 1946, offering an at-sea leadership and professional development experience.
A permanent crew of seven officers and 50 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, watch-standing, engineering and deck seamanship.
