"USCGC Eagle" The Maine Windjammer Project

"USCGC Eagle" by Doug Mills

The USCGC Eagle at Rockland Maine.

Photos provided by Maine Windjammer Project

The Maine Windjammer Project started in 2007 to preserve the modern history of the Maine Windjammer and to make it available to the generations to come.

This historical archive is available to museums and for historical research.

For more info contact: dougmills@shootmainestudios.com

"America's Tall Ship" The Maine Windjammer Project

"America's Tall Ship" by Doug Mills

America's tall ship the USCGC Eagle, port of call Rockland, Maine.

"USCGC Eagle" The Maine Windjammer Project

"USCGC Eagle" by Doug Mills

The tall ship USCGC Eagle returns to Rockland, Maine. [08-02-2014]

www.mainewindjammerproject.com

"USCGC Eagle" The Maine Windjammer Project

"USCGC Eagle" by Doug Mills

The USCGC Eagle makes her first visit to Rockland, Maine. [07-24-2009]

www.mainewindjammerproject.com

Tall Ship Eagle Announces Summer Sailing Schedule

 

NEW LONDON, Conn. – Coast Guard Barque Eagle has finalized its training schedule for 2014.  During the year, Eagle will sail to the Caribbean, along the East Coast, to Canada, and throughout New England.

In late March, Eagle will sail to North Carolina with the Coast Guard and National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Officer Candidates.  The voyage will include a port call in Morehead City, N.C.

The Eagle will return to New London in early April and will depart for the annual summer deployment in May to train Coast Guard Academy cadets.  While in New London in April, the Eagle plans to moor downtown at City Pier and open for local tours on a daily basis.

Following cadet final examinations, Eagle will set sail in early May and is scheduled to travel to the following ports: San Juan, Puerto Rico; Oranjestad, Aruba; Cozumel, Mexico; Miami; Sydney, Canada; St. Johns, Canada; New York City, N.Y.; Bourne, Mass.; and Rockland, Maine.  Eagle will return to New London City Pier in early August.  During these voyages, Eagle will train four different groups of approximately 150 cadets each.

In late August, Eagle will depart with the fall Coast Guard and NOAA Officer Candidate classes, traveling to Yorktown, Va. and then to Baltimore. While in Baltimore, Eagle will take part in the celebration of the 200 year anniversary of Francis Scott Key’s penning of the Star Spangled Banner.

Following the celebration, Eagle will transit to the Coast Guard Yard facility in Baltimore and commence work on its upcoming Service Life Extension Project.  Eagle will remain at the Yard facility until the spring of 2015, when the Barque will travel to New London to commence the 2015 training program.

Specific port call dates are:

Morehead City, N.C.           March 27-30

San Juan, Puerto Rico         May 21-24

Oranjestad, Aruba              May 28-31

Cozumel, Mexico               June 7-10

Miami, Fla.                        June 14-17

Sydney, Canada                 June 28-July 1

St. Johns, Canada              July 4-7

New York City, N.Y.        July 18-21

Bourne, Mass.                   July 24-28

Rockland, Maine               Aug. 1-4

Yorktown, Va.                   Sept. 4-6

Baltimore, Md.                  Sept. 11-15

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 classroom at sea 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, watchstanding, engineering and deck seamanship.

To follow the adventure onboard Eagle, visit the ship’s Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/CoastGuardCutterEagle.

While inport in February and March, the Eagle will be available for tours at the Ft. Trumbull pier most days from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.  For more information, call 860-439-1562.

America's Tall Ship to visit St. Petersburg, Fla.

 

September         Fall OCS Deployment (Portcall TBD) 

Left to right, Third class cadets Joaquin Reyes Carreno, Zachary Frohn, Paul Puddington and Petty Officer 3rd Class Garrett Henderson, a boatswain’s mate, furl the foremast upper square sail as the Coast Guard Cutter Eagle transits into Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, June 7. Crew and cadets enjoyed a short port call at the naval base, as part of the cadet training deployment, to take on fuel, restock food stores and rest before getting underway the following day for St. Petersburg, Fla. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Erik Swanson)

Petty Officer 2nd Class Brandon DeVore, an operations specialist, assists third class cadet Hayden Hughes locate the star Arcturus using a sextant during a celestial navigation session held on the fantail of the Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, May 19. Eagle navigated primarily using celestial navigation techniques during the 2013 cadet training deployment. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2rd Class Erik Swanson)

Seaman John Colucci (right) leads third class cadets Paul Puddington and Nicholas Trefonides on the helm of the Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, May 23. Cadets work with crew to earn their helm and lookout qualification during their cadet training deployment aboard Eagle. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2rd Class Erik Swanson)

Eagle’s crew and cadets help build a school for children in need at St. Maarten

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – During Eagle’s first port call in St. Maarten, crew and cadets helped renovate a school building for children in need at Philipsburg Saturday, May 25, 2013.

Working with the St. Maarten Chapter of the United States Navy League, more than 40 crew and cadets painted, repaired and cleaned a planned school building property located on the corner of L.B. Scott Rd. and Red Rose Rd. “We appreciate the opportunity to help children in need at St. Maarten.” said Capt. Wes Pulver, Commanding Officer of the Cutter Eagle. “Community service projects enrich the deployment experience where the crew and cadets learn to foster a meaningful relationship with the community.”

 “We thank the Eagle’s crew for supporting the Navy League-sponsored community service project to help make a difference in children’s lives,” said Jack Stevens, President of the Navy League’s Caribbean and Latin American Region. “The Navy League’s partnership with the Coast Guard and the other sea services helps to strengthen relationships between nations and within the immediate community they serve in.”

On its cadet summer training deployment, the Eagle arrived in Philipsburg Friday for a port call lasting through the Memorial Day weekend. Their arrival marks the end of the first week underway after departing New London, Conn., May 11.

Eagle serves as a classroom at sea to future Coast Guard officers since 1946, offering a maritime leadership and professional development experience.  Currently, there are 145 cadets from the Coast Guard Academy embarked.  The summer deployment spans 11-weeks, stopping at nine port calls in five countries, with four different groups of cadets training onboard.

At 295 feet, the Eagle is the largest tall ship flying the stars and stripes and the only active square-rigger in U.S. government service.

Cutter Eagle’s First Week Underway

UNDERWAY ABOARD BARQUE EAGLE – The Coast Guard Barque Eagle successfully completed its first week of 11 of the cadet summer training deployment in the Atlantic Ocean, Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Eagle left its homeport in New London, Conn., and sailed more than 600 miles headed to the Caribbean while under sail power and using celestial navigation. Serving as an afloat training platform for more 140 Coast Guard Academy cadets at a time, Eagle’s summer deployment spans 11 weeks, visiting at nine port calls in five countries, with four different groups of cadets training onboard.

"The Eagle crew has challenged these future officers, especially the upper class cadets, to assume the leadership roles of junior officers while sailing the Barque, and they have truly taken ownership of this responsibility, said Capt. Wes Pulver, Commanding Officer of Eagle. “Upperclass cadets are leading the rising sophomores during navigation, engineering, bridge, and deck watches, and are helping them understand how a Coast Guard cutter operates while at sea. The challenges of living aboard and manning a square-rigger on the open ocean are building the teamwork, character, and leadership skills necessary for success as officers in the Coast Guard."

There are currently 24 upper class cadets from the Coast Guard Academy and 120 cadets who just completed their freshman year.  

The cadets have faced a myriad of challenges since stepping aboard Eagle working through nearly 12-foot seas to set and handle the 23 sails onboard as thet acquire their sea legs. They have climbed the barque’s 147-ft. tall masts through harsh weather and stood bridge, command in control, and engine room watches in the 24-hour classroom. Cadets are learning and training in fire fighting, celestial navigation and weather forecasting.  The ship’s navigator secured all means of electronic navigation, leaving the cadets to ensure they arrive at their next portcall with only a sextant and the stars.

“Eagle has been a good introduction into the Coast Guard and has given us the opportunity to apply many of the things we've learned at the Academy,” said 4^thClass cadet Townsend Hirst.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Franklin Johnson, a damage controlman, instructs
 fourth class cadets how to don a Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus,
 May 13, 2013. This equipment is used on all Coast Guard Cutters to
 help Coast Guardsmen fight fires.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Erik Swanson.

With more than 23,500 square feet of sail and six miles of rigging, Eagle has been a classroom at sea for future Coast Guard officers since 1946, providing in-depth leadership and professional development experience.

A permanent crew of seven officers and 50 enlisted personnel maintain the ship throughout the winter and are now guiding the cadets in an extensive underway and in-port training schedule.  Instruction is focused on teaching the skills of navigation, damage control, watchstanding, engineering and deck seamanship. 

The Eagle is on schedule to arrive at its first foreign port call of St. Martin, Friday, May 24.

 A fourth class cadet carefully makes up a taught line after hauling
 around in the rain during sail stations aboard the Coast Guard
 Barque Eagle, May 14, 2013. second and fourth class cadets are
underway for their summer training deployment to further develop their
teamwork and leadership skills.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Erik Swanson.

At 295 feet, 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.

More on Eagle's port call schedule: http://www.uscga.edu/eagle  

To follow the Eagle’s summer cruise, visit the ship’s Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/CoastGuardCutterEagle

"USCGC Eagle" The Maine Windjammer Project

"USCGC Eagle" By Doug Mills

The USCGC Eagle visits Rockland in July of 2009.

www.mainewindjammerproject.com

Eagle Departs For Spring Training Deployment

PORTSMOUTH, Va. – The crew aboard the U. S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle is scheduled to depart Friday, with Coast Guard officer candidates for a 17-day training deployment.  Due to current budget reductions,  crewmembers aboard the Eagle will not make a previously scheduled port call to Savannah, Ga., March 15 – 18.  The Eagle crew will now stop for logistics only in Charleston, S.C., where the ship will moor and take on supplies and Coast Guard trainees at a government pier.

Before departing Charleston, Eagle will take on enlisted students from the Coast Guard boatswain’s mate A-school for the first time. Training together offers mutual benefits to both the officer candidates and enlisted students.  The officer candidates will build experience and learn how the ship functions during their first week aboard, and then will utilize that experience to help guide the A-school students assigned to their divisions during the second week of the deployment. Simultaneously, the officer candidates and the enlisted trainees will receive instruction in navigation, deck seamanship, line handling, damage control, medical techniques, and other basic elements of life aboard Coast Guard cutters.

“The Coast Guard Academy and the Leadership Development Center are academic institutions with collective missions to ensure the best and complete learning experience for our trainees, and the Eagle is a significant part of that experience,” said Capt. Wes Pulver, Eagle’s commanding officer. “We understand budget reductions are required and we remain committed to our highest priorities in providing academic and training excellence to the future leaders of our service.”

The Coast Guard decides upon locations for Eagle training deployments based on ideal weather and sea conditions at different times of the year for students to perform training under challenging circumstances. Trainees are required to handle more than 200 lines and practice marlinspike seamanship to bolster a teamwork ethic as part of their professional development in leadership.

The boatswains mate A-school in Yorktown, Va., is the central educational facility where students learn to perform almost any task in connection with deck maintenance, small boat operations, and navigation. Graduates become third class petty officers in the boatswain’s mate rating.

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 United States acquired Eagle as a war reparation following World War II.

To follow the Eagle’s cruise, visit the ship’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CoastGuardCutterEagle.