THE TALL SHIP EAGLE
Built at the Blohm+Voss Shipyard in Hamburg, Germany in 1936, and commissioned as Horst Wessel, EAGLE was one of three sail-training ships operated by the pre-World War II German navy. At the close of the war, the ship was taken as a war reparation by the U.S., re-commissioned as the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter EAGLE and sailed to New London, Connecticut, which has been her permanent homeport ever since.

USCGC EAGLE’s primary mission is training cadets and officer candidates, and makes calls at foreign ports as a floating goodwill ambassador for US diplomatic relations. EAGLE has hosted Presidents Kennedy, Nixon and Truman. Learn more about the Eagle 

THE TALL SHIP EXPERIENCE - Training on the EAGLE
The USCGC EAGLE serves as a seagoing classroom for Coast Guard Academy cadets and instructors. Aboard the EAGLE, a barque-rigged tall ship, cadets are able to apply navigation, ship-handling and engineering training they have previously learned in the classroom. 

In this modern age of computers and global positioning satellites, it may look old-fashioned, but lessons learned sailing aboard a large square-rigger are invaluable. On the decks and in the rigging of EAGLE, young cadets are tested and challenged, often to the limits of endurance. Everyone depends on the others to know their job and do it. The old saying, “We’re all in the same boat,” comes from a ship like this. Because EAGLE is so labor-intensive, it’s a demanding trainer. It’s an intense, humbling experience that instills teamwork, builds confidence and conquers fear – all traits as welcome on board ship as in a corporate boardroom. Learn more about the Eagle experience