“America’s Tallship” the Barque Eagle

Built in Hamburg, Germany in 1936, the Eagle trained German Navy sailors as Horst Wessel, named after a member of the German socialist movement.  In 1945 she was captured by the United States and found by Coast Guard Commander Gordon McGowan and his crew who sailed her to the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. 

Every summer, the Eagle teaches cadets from the Coast Guard Academy and Officer Candidate School to lead, train, and serve at sea. The Eagle is the only active-duty sailing vessel in America’s military and one of only two commissioned sailing vessels. Cadets learn the fundamentals of seamanship, weather, and nautical tradition, mixing modern technology with tools of the past, such as celestial navigation with a sextant. They graduate having been truly tested at sea, and better leaders for it. 

Each cadet who steps aboard the Eagle joins a long, storied history of Coast Guard members who protect our waterways, defend our nation, and save lives.

Do you feel the call to make an impact? If you have a sincere desire to make the world a better place—and learn real-world skills that will lead to a bright future—Coast Guard service is for you.