ROCKLAND — Watch the waters Friday, Aug. 1, around 3 p.m. as the stately Coast Guard training vessel Eagle sails into Rockland Harbor with 200 cadets, crew and officers onboard. The largest tall ship sailing under the U.S. flag, and the country’s only square-rigged vessel used in government service, the Eagle is a source of national pride. And, she is a distinctive training vessel used for passing on valuable maritime knowledge to generations of Coast Guard personnel.

The Coast Guard will offer free tours of the Eagle on Saturday, Aug. 2 from 1 to 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 3, from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The Eagle will be docked at the Coast Guard Pier South, in Rockland.

“Everyone is welcome to come aboard,” said Coast Guard Lt. Tom Crowley, who is the ship’s operation office.

At 4 p.m., Aug. 1, the ship’s cadets and instructors will be honored at a special ceremony at the Rockland Lobster Festival main stage.  

At 295 feet in length, the Eagle is at sea for a good portion of the year, taking cadets and officer candidates on training cruises on the Atlantic and beyond — Spain, Canada, Bermuda, Oregon.

In the seagoing classrooms — on deck, high up in the rigging, or in the engine rooms — the students get a taste of life at sea. They are tested and challenged, often to the limits of their endurance.  Working aloft they meet fear and learn to overcome it.  The training that cadets receive under sail has proven to be an invaluable asset during their subsequent Coast Guard careers. 

“It has been an excellent summer,” reported Crowley, from the Eagle. “We've got one week left on our summer training period after Rockland.  We will moor back in New London on Aug. 8 for three weeks before getting under way to do another two weeks of training for CG officer candidates.  

 The weather has been mild this summer, he said. 

“Light winds so slower sailing but the skilled crew members and watch-standers, along with the cadets using their newly acquired skills, have done an excellent job at making the most of what wind we have and we are currently on pace to moor in Rockland right on time,” he wrote.

 Eagle Specs and History

The U.S. acquired the 295-foot cutter from Germany following World War II. The vessel was built in 1936 as training ship for young Germans for 10 years, and was originally named the Horst Wessel after one of Hitler’s lieutenants, who was killed violently in the dark of night.

The Eagle has four sister ships, three of them apportioned to other countries following WWII. Mircea is owned by Romania; Sagres II, Portugal; Gorch Fock I, Germany (this ship returned to Germany after being owned by Russia, but then in need of repairs, was privately funded to go home). In the interim, Germany had built another Gorch Fock II in 1958, based on the original Gorch Fock I design. The last time they sailed together was in 1976 during the U.S. Bicentennial, in New York Harbor.

The integrity of the boat lies in its superior design, craftsmanship, and durability.

Length: 295 feet

Beam: 39.1 feet

Draft: 17 feet

Ballast: 344 tons

Water: Holds 56,000 gallons

Height of the main and fore masts: 147.3 feet (above waterline)

Sail area: 21,350 square feet

Diesel engine: 1,000 horsepower, 16-cylinder Caterpillar (installed in 1980 and due for upgrade this coming year)

Speed under sail: up to 17.5 knots

Speed under power: 11 knots

Number of sails: 23

The boat is made from German steel, riveted together and welded together. The plating is half-inch thick.

The weather decks have three-inch teak laid atop the steel.

Nine watertight bulkheads run from the bilge to the main deck.