USCG Tall Ship “Eagle” opens to public in New Bedford

By Beth David, Editor

The USCG Cutter Barque “Eagle’ floated into New Bedford harbor with local politicians on board and crowds gathered in all the good places to see it glide through the hurricane barrier to the State Pier. As it passed by Fort Phoenix, the Fairhaven Village Militia shot off the Fort’s cannons in salute. “America’s Tall Ship,” was open to the public for tours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Aboard the ship, cadets and crew were on hand to answer questions. A series of informational banners explained various details about the ship, sailing, the USCG, and aspects of life aboard Eagle and in the Coast Guard.

For instance, explaining what “baggywrinkle” is and does. Where Eagle’s sails come into contact with standing rigging, you’ll see baggywrinkle. The shaggy fringe, made from old lines, provides a softer wearing surface so the sails don’t chafe. The expression “don’t get carried away” comes from tall ship sailors’ worries of chafed or damaged sails. 

USCG cadet Olivia Gonzalez, 17, was on her first day of a three-week stint on Eagle. She literally had to think a moment when asked her first name because she left boot camp the day before, where first names are not used, ever. She is in her freshman year at the USCG Academy in New London, CT.

“It’s very exciting to be able to be on it,” said Cadet Gonzalez about being on Eagle.

Owen Piatt, 18, from Northern Kentucky, said he was in his “swab summer,” the first summer of his career in the USCG. He said he had realized his childhood dream by making it into the Coast Guard.

He remembers going to air shows when he was a “little kid,” with his cousin sitting by his side telling stories, while his other cousin flew with the Blue Angels.

“It always inspired me,” said Cadet Piatt. So when he got a chance to run cross country for the academy, he jumped at the chance to join.

“It is everything I thought it would be and so much more,” he said, admitting that there were a “few bumps” along the way. “It is so worth it, and I’m kind of just at the beginning of it.”

Cousins Dorian, Daley, and Dylan Perry, Jonathan Goncalves and Janessa Almeida, toured the boat with their mother and aunt Delia Perry. Part of the group hailed from Washington, DC but started out in New Bedford. 

Janessa said it was her first time on a such big ship, and she thought it was “pretty cool.” She asked about the sleeping arrangements and a cadet told her they had triple bunks. Janessa said she learned that the Coast Guard helps people on the water and conducts patrols. 

Jonathan said he had been on smaller boats before, but nothing like the Eagle. 

“It’s like a really big house,” he said. 

Mom and aunt, Delia, said that she grew up in New Bedford, but visits when she can. She saw the ship as it passed by East Beach on its way to New Bedford Harbor, so she made sure to take the kids to see it.

“We’re land locked in DC,” she said, so she takes every opportunity she can to show her girls the waterfront. 

“These are some of the things I took for granted when I lived here,” she said. “And these are the treasures that you really only experience on the coast.”

She said she had a “renewed appreciation” of the area after living way for so many years.

At 295-feet in length, Eagle is the largest tall ship in United States government service. 

Constructed in 1936 by the Blohm and Voss Shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, and originally commissioned as the Horst Wessell by the German Navy, Eagle was a war reparation for the United States following World War II.

The majestic sailing ship provides USCG Academy cadets and officer candidates with their first taste of sea and salt air. Eagle has served as a classroom-at-sea to future Coast Guard officers since 1946, offering an at-sea leader­ship and professional develop­ment experience as part of the USCG Academy curricu­lum. The Eagle is a three-masted barque with more than 22,300 square feet of sail and six miles of rigging. The mainmast is 144.7 feet above water line, and more than 200 lines control the sails.

There has been some discussion on whether to call Eagle a “cutter” or a “barque.” It turns out, it’s both. According to one of the informational banners onboard, in the US Coast Guard, “cutter” denotes a commis­sioned vessel at least 65 feet in length with a permanently assigned crew. A Barque is a sailing vessel with three or more masts, the forward masts square-rigged and the aft mast fore-and-aft-rigged. Barques have fewer labor-intensive square sails, which require smaller crews. This allows trainees to make up more of the ship’s complement, making the barque an ideal training platform. 

Eagle’s homeport is Baltimore, MD. In Summer 2019 its homeport will shift to New London, CT. Visit http://www.cga.edu/eagle/

 

 

 

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Click here to download the entire 8/16/18 issue: 08-16-18 USCG Eagle