Coast Guard Cutter Eagle to depart on 75th anniversary voyage

News Release
Date: June 7, 2011
Contact: Coast Guard Cutter Eagle
(860) 444-8270

America's Tall Ship, Coast Guard Cutter Eagle to visit London

NORTH SEA – The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, “America’s Tall Ship,” is scheduled to arrive at the West India Docks at Canary Wharf in London, England this Friday at 9:30 a.m. as part of their 2011 cruise celebrating the 75th anniversary of Eagle’s construction.

Eagle will be open for free public tours from 1:00 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, 1:00 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday.

At 295 feet in length, 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 over 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 unparalleled at-sea leadership and professional development experience.

A permanent crew of six officers and 50 enlisted personnel maintain the ship and guide the trainees through a rigorous underway and inport training schedule dedicated to learning the skills of navigation, damage control, watchstanding, engineering and deck seamanship.

:cool:
 
Eagle's departure from London has been delayed due to necessary repairs on the gyrocompass.

We continue to make the most of our time in port by conducting training and working on
numerous maintenance projects. Today some cadets are going into the rig to practice
setting and dousing sails, others are learning how to fill out navigation data logs or doing
damage control training. Those cadets not training are working on various maintenance
projects around the cutter and helping to prepare the meals.
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Have they tested the unusual vicosity and temperature of the local beer:shake:?
 
Still moored at the West India Docks, Canary Wharf, London.............maybe a Tuesday departure?

Hope this doesn't cross Iceland off the list.
 
My son is "stuck" in London with Eagle and, as usual, Luigi, you know more than I do about their departure date.

You're right, London is getting expensive...so even when the cadets get liberty, some of them don't have alot to do! Hopefully, they get under way before Thursday! Last I heard, Iceland was still in the picture...but Semper Gumby!
 
Eagle is scheduled to leave London today! Gyroscope repairs are finished.

Departure is set for 5PM London time (Noon Eastern).

Arrival in Iceland will be approx 4 days late (6/28) than scheduled (6/24).

Semper Gumby.
 
Good to hear Iceland is still on for a port call. There are parents currently in Iceland waiting for the ship to arrive for a quick cadet visit.
 
BruceRTalbot said:
Good to hear Iceland is still on for a port call. There are parents currently in Iceland waiting for the ship to arrive for a quick cadet visit.
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They've got the perfect time to be there with the first days of summer. Very short nights and some beautiful sun rises and sets.
 
News Release
Date: June 23, 2011
Contact: Coast Guard Cutter Eagle
(860) 444-8270

America's Tall Ship, Coast Guard Cutter Eagle to visit Reykjavik, Iceland

NORTH SEA – The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, "America’s Tall Ship," is scheduled to arrive at the Miðbakki Pier, in Reykjavik Harbor, Iceland, Tuesday at 10 a.m. as part of their 2011 cruise celebrating the 75th anniversary of Eagle’s construction.

The Eagle will be open for free public tours on the following dates and times:

  • June 28 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
  • June 29 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • June 30 from 10 a.m. to 7 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.

:cool:
 
Eagle has arrived in Reykjavik, Iceland and is safely moored to the pier.
 
I imagine there are over 100 :biggrin:
There surely will be a couple of pictures of cadets wearing the Viking hats that are sold in many of the shops in Reykjavik. Ok, I admit, we bought one :yllol:
 
News Release
Date: June 30, 2011
Contact: Coast Guard Cutter Eagle
(860) 444-8270

Coast Guard Cutter Eagle to honor fallen Alexander Hamilton crew

REYKJAVIK, Iceland - The crew aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Eagle is scheduled to hold a wreath-laying ceremony Friday in Faxe Bay off the coast of Iceland in memory of the crewmembers who lost their lives aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Alexander Hamilton when it was torpedoed in 1942 by a German U-Boat.

The ceremony will take place while the Eagle sails en route from Reykjavik, Iceland, to Halifax, Nova Scotia

The cadets and crew of the Eagle will pause in Faxe Bay, off the coast of Iceland, at the final resting place of the Coast Guard Cutter Alexander Hamilton and will lay a wreath in honor of the fallen crewmembers.

Additionally, seven flowers will be cast to sea as a tribute from the still-living crewmembers of the Coast Guard Cutter Tampa and the other 327’ “Secretary Class” cutters who served during World War II.

AlexanderHamilton1.jpg

The Alexander Hamilton in her wartime grey, December 1941.

The Coast Guard Cutter Alexander Hamilton was built at the New York Navy Yard as a member of the “Secretary of Treasury Class” of high-endurance cutters. The keel was laid Sept. 11, 1935, and the cutter was launched Jan. 6, 1937. The ship spent several years patrolling the West Coast, spending the majority of that time in the Bering Sea.

Prior to the United States entering World War II, the cutter Alexander Hamilton was ordered to return to the East Coast to participate in neutrality patrols - a set of missions ordered by President Roosevelt to help protect the coast of the United States.

In September 1941, following the sinking of the U.S. naval destroyer Greer off the coast of Iceland by a German U-Boat, President Roosevelt gave the Navy and Coast Guard “shoot on sight” orders for any vessels threatening the safety of American vessels.

The Coast Guard Cutter Alexander Hamilton responded by painting the once white cutter in gray camouflage and doing additional readiness drills.

On Dec. 7, while the crew of the Alexander Hamilton was undergoing repairs in Norfolk, Va., the Japanese attacked the Naval Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor and the United States entered the war.

On Jan. 29, 1942, the crew of the Alexander Hamilton patrolled the Icelandic coast near Reykjavik when the ship was torpedoed on the starboard side by a German U-Boat. The attack left the cutter powerless and severely damaged. The U.S. naval destroyer Gwinn came alongside and took on the crewmembers. Attempts were made by several British and American vessels to salvage the Alexander Hamilton, but the efforts were later deemed useless as the ship capsized and sank lower into the water.

Rescue efforts were abandoned, and the Alexander Hamilton was sent to the bottom of the sea after being fired on three times by the American destroyer USS Ericsson. The initial torpedo explosion killed 26 Coast Guardsmen, and six later died as a result of their injuries. In all, 32 men would perish while 81 survived.

The exact location of the final resting place of the Coast Guard Cutter Alexander Hamilton remained unknown until Aug. 19, 2009, when the Icelandic Coast Guard found a shipwreck in Faxaflói, or Faxe Bay, 28 miles off the coast of Iceland. The wreck was later positively identified as the Alexander Hamilton.

The Coast Guard Cutter Eagle will be the first Coast Guard vessel to visit and pay respects to the final resting place of the cutter and the crew.

"This stop will be an important and historical part of the Eagle's summer and perfectly compliments our ship’s training mission," said Lt. Jeff Janaro. "The cadets aboard the ship are familiar with Coast Guard history, and this ceremony will show them the importance of tradition and sacrifice as we reflect on our service’s heroes."

For more information about the Coast Guard Cutter Alexander Hamilton, click here.
 
Awesome news!!! Any idea how they celebrate that, if they do!
 
Now we have 2 blue noses & 2 Antarctic explorers in the family :thumb:
 
fairwinds said:
Awesome news!!! Any idea how they celebrate that, if they do!
Click to expand...

From the Eagle Facebook page:

"Since crossing the Arctic Circle, Davy Jones has offered a challenge to the crew and
cadets aboard the ship in order to earn their Blue Nose certificate. Today, all those participating
are working on skits to entertain the royal court of Most Honorable Polar Bears. Entertainment begins
at 7 p.m. tonight, and pictures will follow."​

:cool:
 
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