USCGC Eagle (WIX-327)

For other ships with the same name, see USCGC Eagle.

USCGC Eagle under full sail in 2013 in the Caribbean Sea
History
Germany
NameHorst Wessel
NamesakeHorst Wessel
BuilderBlohm & Voss, Hamburg
Yard number508
Laid down15 February 1936
Launched13 June 1936
Sponsored byBertha Luise Margarete Wessel
Commissioned17 September 1936
Decommissioned1939
Recommissioned1942
CapturedApril 1945
FateTransferred to the United States
United States
NameUSCGC Eagle
Commissioned15 May 1946
Homeport
Identification
MottoTradition, Seamanship, Character
Nickname(s)"America's Tall Ship"
Statusin active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeGorch Fock-class barque
DisplacementFull load: 1,784 long tons (1,813 t)
Length
  • Overall: 295 ft (90 m)
  • Waterline: 234 ft (71 m)
Beam39 ft (12 m)
DraftFull load: 17.5 ft (5.3 m)
Installed power
Propulsion
Sail plan
  • Foremast: 147.3 ft (44.9 m)
  • Mainmast: 147.3 ft (44.9 m)
  • Mizzenmast: 132.0 ft (40.2 m)
  • Sail area: 22,280 sq ft (2,070 m2)
Speed
  • Sail: 19 kn (35 km/h; 22 mph)
  • Diesel: 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Range
  • Sail: Unlimited
  • Diesel: 5,450 nmi (10,093 km; 6,272 mi)
  • at 7.5 kn (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph)
Complement
  • Permanent: 7 officers, 50 crew
  • When Deployed: 12 officers, 68 crew, and 150 trainees

USCGC Eagle (WIX-327), formerly Horst Wessel and also known as Barque Eagle, is a 295-foot (90 m) barque used as a training cutter for future officers of the United States Coast Guard. She is one of only two active commissioned sailing vessels in the United States military today, along with USS Constitution which is ported in Boston Harbor. She is the seventh Coast Guard cutter to bear the name in a line dating back to 1792, including the Revenue Cutter Eagle.[1][2][3]

Each summer, Eagle deploys with cadets from the United States Coast Guard Academy and candidates from the Officer Candidate School for periods ranging from a week to two months. These voyages fulfill multiple roles. The primary mission is training the cadets and officer candidates, but the ship also performs a public relations role for the Coast Guard and the United States. Often, Eagle makes calls at foreign ports as a goodwill ambassador.

The ship was built as the German sail training ship Horst Wessel in 1936; it served to train German sailors in sail techniques until decommissioned at the start of World War II. The vessel was given anti-aircraft armament and re-commissioned in 1942. At the end of the war, Horst Wessel was taken by the U.S. as war reparations.

  1. ^ "About the Eagle". United States Coast Guard Academy. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Holtkamp2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "USCGC Eagle (WIX-327)". Historic Naval Ships Association. Archived from the original on 19 January 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2017.