The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle is scheduled to arrive at Clipper Pier, Philipsburg, St. Maarten, on Friday morning as part of their 2013 cadet summer training deployment.
The Eagle will be open for free public tours on Saturday, May 25 from 10 am to 5 pm.
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. You are invited to tour this historic ship on Saturday. School and community groups welcome.
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 more than 23,500 square feet of sail and six miles of rigging, the Eagle has served as a classroom at sea to future Coast Guard officers since 1946, offering an at-sea leadership and professional development experience. Currently, there are 145 cadets from the Coast Guard Academy embarked. The summer deployment spans 11-weeks, stopping at nine port calls in five countries, with four different groups of cadets training onboard.
To follow the Eagle’s summer cruise, visit the ship’s Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/CoastGuardCutterEagle