I saved the best of the USCG Eagle for last. This was my favorite shot we got of her as she passed Alcatraz. The Alcatraz lighthouse is clearly visible in the image. Her sails are full and the massive American Flag can be seen flowing in the San Francisco breeze. A small Coast Guard boat passes by preventing sail boats from getting too close to the massive Tall Ship. The ship will be in port the remainder of this weekend if you want to get a glimpse of her. The last time she visited San Francisco was over 10 years ago so now is your chance.
The USCG Barque Eagle is a three-masted sailing Coast Guard Cutter with 21,350 square feet of sail and is currently stationed in New London, Connecticut. She is one of 5 similar ships built in Germany. Her sister ships are known under the names Mircea of Romania, Sagres II of Portugal, Gorch Fock of Germany and the Tovarich of Russia.
The ship was originally commissioned by Germany as the Horst Wessel and at the end of WWII she was taken buy the US as a war prize. On may 15th 1946 she was recommissioned as the USCG Eagle being the seventh ship to serve the Coast Guard bearing the name Eagle. The first ship to bear the name was commissioned in 1792 for the Revenue Marine Service which was the forerunner of today's Coast Guard.
__________________________________________
Stats:
__________________________________________
Length - 295 ft
Beam 39 ft 1 in
Draft 17 ft 6 in
Foremast - 147.3 ft
Mainmast - 147.3 ft
Mizzenmast - 132.0 ft
Displacement 1,784 LT full load
Max Speed under sail - 17 knots
Max Speed under diesel 10 knots
Max Range - 5450 miles
Complement - 12 Officers, 38 crew & 150 Cadets.
Mission - Training USCG Cadets
Commissioned - May 15, 1946
__________________________________________
-Darv
LiquidMoonlight.com
© Darvin Atkeson
