Coast Guard Cutter Eagle to depart on 75th anniversary voyage

Luigi59

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Coast Guard Cutter Eagle to depart on 75th anniversary voyage

News Release
Date: May 4, 2011
Contact: Coast Guard Cutter Eagle
(860) 444-8270

http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/2487/1078691/

NEW LONDON, Conn. - A departure ceremony is scheduled to be held at 10 a.m. Saturday for the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Eagle at Coast Guard Station New London adjacent to Fort Trumbull here.

The Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut organized the first of two chamber-led efforts to honor the Coast Guard’s training vessel and goodwill ambassador as the ship and its crew embark on their 75th anniversary voyage to Europe with more than 140 cadets aboard.

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney and New London Mayor Martin T. Olsen Jr. will join residents from the region to wish the Eagle and its crew well.

“We want as many people as possible to join with us at Fort Trumbull to show our support for the Eagle, her captain and crew who train the Coast Guard’s future leaders,” said Tony Sheridan, the chamber’s president and CEO. “It will be fun to watch as this magnificent vessel leaves the pier and heads out to sea. The Coast Guard is an important part of our community. Its life-saving mission and work in homeland security responsibilities are important for our nation.”

Capt. Eric C. Jones said this trip is special because Eagle is heading back to the shipyard where it was built in 1936.

"While we're excited to embark on this voyage celebrating Eagle's 75 years as a sail-training ship, we'll be missing our homeport and looking forward to our return to friends and family in August the moment the lines come in," said Jones.

The crew of the Eagle will be met by a group of Connecticut residents organized by the Chamber of commerce at their first of eight port calls in Waterford, Ireland, May 27.

“We will be looking forward to seeing some of our homeport friends after the three-week crossing of the North Atlantic,” said Jones.

After stopping in Ireland, the Eagle is scheduled to arrive in Hamburg, Germany, June 3, where the ship was built at the Blohm and Voss Shipyard in 1936 and commissioned as the Horst Wessel.

The remaining scheduled port calls include:

  • June 10, London, England
  • June 24, Reykjavik, Iceland
  • July 15, Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • July 22, Boston, Mass.
  • July 29, New Bedford, Mass.
  • Aug. 5, New York

The Eagle is a prominent feature of New London Harbor and a key training vessel for cadets at the Coast Guard Academy. The ship was taken as a war reparation at the end of World War II, re-commissioned as the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle and brought to New London, which has been its homeport ever since.

The crew of the Eagle travels about 13,000 miles, trains more than 600 Coast Guard cadets and officer candidates and averages between six and eight port calls each year.

:cool:
 
More about this voyage:

http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/2487/1076499/

A permanent crew of six officers and 50 enlisted personnel guides the trainees through a rigorous underway and in-port training curriculum dedicated to the skills of navigation, damage control, watchstanding, engineering and deck seamanship. The work of climbing the rigging, hauling line to hoist or douse sail, and the reality of living and working in close quarters for weeks at a time is an arduous experience. Long hours standing watch in the rain and cold, and cleaning dishes and scrubbing decks take cadets out of their comfort zones – if there is such a thing at a military academy.

During their four-year journey at the academy, cadets spend a minimum six weeks aboard Eagle. To maneuver the tall ship under sail, Eagle’s crew must handle the 130 different lines that set, trim and douse the ship’s 23 sails, in all kinds of weather, day or night. All of the lines are managed by hand and very few can be handled by a single person, which naturally develops team coordination and cooperation. There is another challenge for new hands to overcome – going aloft. Work on Eagle can often put a cadet 143-feet above the water while standing on the yard arms working with sails, an experience not soon forgotten.

The physically and mentally demanding work aboard Eagle strengthens the bond between cadets. Most do not romanticize their time aboard the barque, but the training does something that no amount of classroom discussion or assigned reading can do. It gets young men and women back in touch with the type of experiential learning that cadets have experienced since the Coast Guard Academy was founded in 1876 aboard the schooner Dobbin. Back to a time when the ship was the school and the sea was the teacher.

For those interested in tracking Eagle, go here: http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shipposition.phtml?call=NRCB

:cool:
 
Phase 1 Swabs board in Boston and depart New Bedford. 2 boards at NB and disembarks in NYC. 3 boards in NYC and returns to Ft. Trumbull.

Thank you! I'm really excited for the Eagle, it'll be a great conclusion (or break!) to a rigorous Swab Summer! :smile:

And thanks for the information about the Eagle, Luigi59!
 
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FYI - the weather forecast: :barf:

Hazardous marine condition(s):

Gale Warning

SEAS GIVEN AS SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT...WHICH IS THE AVERAGE
HEIGHT OF THE HIGHEST 1/3 OF THE WAVES. INDIVIDUAL WAVES MAY BE
MORE THAN TWICE THE SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT.


ANZ094-101500-
BALTIMORE CANYON TO HAGUE LINE S OF 1000 FM
500 AM EDT TUE MAY 10 2011

GALE WARNING


TODAY
N TO NE WINDS 30 TO 40 KT...EXCEPT W OF 71W N 25 TO 30
KT...AND FAR E PART NE WINDS 20 TO 30 KT. SEAS 10 TO 19 FT...
HIGHEST S. SCATTERED SHOWERS E PORTION BECOMING ISOLATED LATE.

TONIGHT
N TO NE WINDS 25 TO 35 KT...HIGHEST BETWEEN 68W AND
71W...BECOMING N 25 TO 30 KT THROUGHOUT. SEAS SUBSIDING TO 9 TO
15 FT...HIGHEST S. ISOLATED SHOWERS.

WED
N TO NE WINDS INCREASING TO 25 TO 35 KT IN THE
AFTERNOON...HIGHEST BETWEEN 67W AND 71W. SEAS BUILDING TO 11 TO
17 FT...HIGHEST S. SCATTERED SHOWERS E PORTION.

WED NIGHT
N TO NE WINDS 25 TO 35 KT. SEAS 12 TO 18 FT.
SCATTERED SHOWERS SE.
 
Some quotes from Eagle's Facebook page:

"The storm moved up the Gulf Stream into the path of Eagle colliding with another low-pressure system the ship had found itself in after setting sail."

"The storm brought winds of up to 40 knots and waves up to 15 feet, damaging the sails of the ship and ripping off deck fittings.."

"It was later said among the crew that the ship had experienced some of the worst conditions they had ever seen."

:barf:
 
Coast Guard Cutter Eagle voyage offers CGA cadets crucible moment
By Petty Officer 3rd Class Robert Brazzell

News Release
Date: May 19, 2011
Contact: Coast Guard Cutter Eagle
(860) 444-8270

...
“I was expecting an easy cruise across the Atlantic,” said Campbell Fall, a fourth class cadet from Hudson, Wis. “On that day, when the seas started to build, I remember stepping out on the deck and seeing huge waves and heavy fog, resembling something from what looked like a movie - I had never seen anything like it in my life.”

Eagle experienced up to 15-foot seas and wind gusts to 45 knots. Two headsails were tattered by the strong winds and had to be entirely replaced. Other sails needed to be taken in quickly in order to prevent them from being damaged and to help the ship ride more comfortably through the seas. Since taking in the sails required many hands, the crew and cadets went into the rig as a team to accomplish the task.

“They needed 12 people to volunteer,” said Fall. “Some friends and I were looking around and no one was raising their hands, so I thought to myself, ‘somebody's going to have to do it.’ I looked at my friends and without saying anything, we had all agreed we were going to go up, so I raised my hand.”

One by one, the selected cadets followed the crew to the approximately 80-foot high yard. With cold, wet hands, they climbed up the rigging, the unrelenting winds stinging their hands and faces as they went.

“When I went aloft to take in sail,” said Fall, “we kept furling some in and then a huge gust of wind would just rip it from our hands and we would have to start all over again.”

Little by little the cadets furled the sail, securing it back to the yard. Once the sails were safely in their gaskets, the cadets and crew made their way down to the deck below.

“When our boots hit the deck we felt empowered, like we had just overcome something that we thought was impossible,” said Fall. “It took me all day to digest what we had done. I kept thinking to myself, I can’t believe I did that.”

...Before the cadets enter the fleet they will need to complete three more years at the academy, at which point they will become commissioned officers. As officers they may again find themselves in difficult situations, perhaps with lives on the line. It is in these moments that they will be able to act with confidence, relying on training they received not in a classroom, but on the decks of the 75-year-old Tall Ship Eagle.

Read the entire article here: http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/2487/1092707/
 
Coast Guard Cutter Eagle voyage offers CGA cadets crucible moment
By Petty Officer 3rd Class Robert Brazzell

News Release
Date: May 19, 2011
Contact: Coast Guard Cutter Eagle
(860) 444-8270

...
“I was expecting an easy cruise across the Atlantic,” said Campbell Fall, a fourth class cadet from Hudson, Wis. “On that day, when the seas started to build, I remember stepping out on the deck and seeing huge waves and heavy fog, resembling something from what looked like a movie - I had never seen anything like it in my life.”

Eagle experienced up to 15-foot seas and wind gusts to 45 knots. Two headsails were tattered by the strong winds and had to be entirely replaced. Other sails needed to be taken in quickly in order to prevent them from being damaged and to help the ship ride more comfortably through the seas. Since taking in the sails required many hands, the crew and cadets went into the rig as a team to accomplish the task.

“They needed 12 people to volunteer,” said Fall. “Some friends and I were looking around and no one was raising their hands, so I thought to myself, ‘somebody's going to have to do it.’ I looked at my friends and without saying anything, we had all agreed we were going to go up, so I raised my hand.”

One by one, the selected cadets followed the crew to the approximately 80-foot high yard. With cold, wet hands, they climbed up the rigging, the unrelenting winds stinging their hands and faces as they went.

“When I went aloft to take in sail,” said Fall, “we kept furling some in and then a huge gust of wind would just rip it from our hands and we would have to start all over again.”

Little by little the cadets furled the sail, securing it back to the yard. Once the sails were safely in their gaskets, the cadets and crew made their way down to the deck below.

“When our boots hit the deck we felt empowered, like we had just overcome something that we thought was impossible,” said Fall. “It took me all day to digest what we had done. I kept thinking to myself, I can’t believe I did that.”

...Before the cadets enter the fleet they will need to complete three more years at the academy, at which point they will become commissioned officers. As officers they may again find themselves in difficult situations, perhaps with lives on the line. It is in these moments that they will be able to act with confidence, relying on training they received not in a classroom, but on the decks of the 75-year-old Tall Ship Eagle.

Read the entire article here: http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/2487/1092707/




That is truly inspirational :thumb:
 
Eagle is actually a fairly nice ride, as far a CG cutters go. Under full sail, it cuts through some seas that have smaller cutters rolling. The berthing is less than ideal, but on Eagle, you shouldn't be in your rack too often. You'll likely see some seas larger than 15 footers, if not on the Dirty Bird, certainly later in your career!
 
US Coast Guard Tall Ship Eagle to visit Waterford ahead of The Tall Ships Races 2011

by Tall Ships Ireland on Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 10:27am

http://www.waterfordtallshipsrace.ie/

The US Coast Guard Cutter Eagle is scheduled to arrive at the North Quays in Waterford on Friday (May 27) as the city continues the countdown to its hosting of The Tall Ships Races 2011 from June 30-July 3.

Eagle will be open for free public tours on Friday from 1-7pm and on Saturday and Sunday from 10am-7pm.

Ireland will be the first port of call during Eagle’s 2011 summer training cruise, which celebrates the 75th anniversary of the ship’s construction in Hamburg, Germany in 1936.

Eagle is the largest Tall Ship flying the Stars and Stripes and the only active sailing square-rigger in US government service. It originally served as a training vessel for the German navy in the late 1930s.

Since 1946, Eagle has sailed each summer in support of United States Coast Guard officer training programmes, providing an unparalleled at-sea leadership and professional development experience for future officers of the US Coast Guard.

The 75-year-old Eagle is a 295-foot, three-masted barque, with more than 23,500 square feet of sail and six miles of rigging.


WLR FM will be LIVE from The North Quay on Saturday from 2-5pm and Sunday from 2-5pm as the US Coast Guard 'The Eagle' Tall Ship sails into Waterford on its European Tour. Come on down and say hi to Geoff Harris. This special broadcast is with thanks to Snowcream Milk - Fresh To You Each Day.
 
From Eagle's Facebook page:

"We arrived safely into Waterford a day earlier than expected due to the tide.
Liberty has just been piped and the cadets and crew are ready to head out
and enjoy the town."


:thumb::thumb:
 
Sounds like the voyage was a little saltier than originally reported while underway!

http://www.theday.com/article/20110528/NWS09/305289954

The Day said:
...Third-class cadets Carlos Gonzalez, Campbell Fall and David Britten were serving as guides to Irish schoolchildren,
the Connecticut contingent and a few tourists on Thursday, but a few days into the cruise Fall and Britten were climbing
the masts. They were among 16 cadets and crew who went out on the yardarms in gale winds to set sails that
had broken loose.

With the sails whipping around them, they worked for two hours as more experienced hands on deck guided their
movements and yelled, "Hold on."

Fall, the first to step out onto the yardarm, had never been up there before, let alone in heavy seas. "Breaking barriers
one by one," he called it Friday.

Capt. Eric Jones, Eagle's commanding officer, said the cadets and crew members "did absolutely magnificently."
The first gale struck only three days into the voyage, before most of the cadets in training had even had a chance
to get their sea legs, he said.

Between gales, the ship sailed through days of fog. All aboard had to listen to the moan of the fog signal around
the clock, a sound that wore on the nerves.

Only one serious mishap occurred, when a cadet was thrown across the deck and into a crew member, injuring the crew member's
leg. The weather also created complications when an ill cadet had to be airlifted off by being put on another vessel that could
be more safely approached by a helicopter....
 
hi im lookin to keep in contact with some off the crew on board this ship. anybody who had lunch in revolution in waterford will remember me as the bar man there. my e mail is seanred-e@hotmail.com
 
"Eagle" kehrt zurück nach Hamburg

In Hamburg ist am Freitag die "Eagle" eingelaufen. Das Segelschulschiff der amerikanischen Küstenwache ist ein
Schwesterschiff der "Gorch Fock" und wurde vor dem Zweiten Weltkrieg bei Blohm + Voss in der Hansestadt gebaut.

Es ist so etwas wie die Heimkehr nach 75 Jahren für die "Eagle" - obwohl das Schiff unter US-Flagge Hamburg schon
vor Jahren einmal im Rahmen einer Windjammer-Regatta besucht hatte. Das rund 90 Meter lange Schiff mit seinen drei
Masten gleicht der Gorch Fock bis hin zur obersten Rah. Die "Eagle" lief 1936 als "Horst Wessel", benannt nach dem
SA-Sturmführer, auf Steinwerder vom Stapel.

http://www.ndr.de/regional/hamburg/eagle101.html

http://youtu.be/RDgMUzA1ovI
 
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