The Coast Guard Cutter EAGLE has announced that the seventh in a series of Maritime Sail training availabilities, will run in March 2011, in conjunction with a USCG Officer Candidate School Introductory Cruise. EAGLE will depart from New London, CT, March 14, 2011, and return to New London March 28, with an intervening port call at Philadelphia, PA, the weekend of March 19th & 20th. SUNY Maritime College students interested in this opportunity should see CAPT Ernest J. Fink. Each Applicant must forward a request for passage to Captain Fink.
Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, a three-masted sailing barque with 21,350 square feet of sail is based in New London, CT. The cutter’s hull is built of steel four-tenths of an inch thick and has two full length steel decks with a platform deck below. The ship was a war prize from Nazi Germany, and is the only square-rigged sailing ship in the United States government service. It was originally commissioned the Horst Wessel in 1936 by Nazi Germany where it was one of three training ships used to train navy cadets. Taken as a war prize by the United States in 1946 and renamed, the Eagle now allows the Coast Guard’s future officers to apply the navigation, engineering, and leadership training they receive in classes at the Coast Guard Academy to real-life challenges on the sea.
This cruise is open to all the State Maritime Academy Cadets and Cadets from USMMA, as well as to individual recently licensed graduates seeking sail training endorsement and/upgrade “time” on their existing licenses. Maritime Sail Training Program volunteers may sail aboard EAGLE on one or both legs of the forthcoming voyage. During these Training Cruises Maritime Sail trainees routinely live in crew berthing, participate in sail handling on deck and aloft under the supervision of EAGLE’sprofessional crewmembers, attend morning navigational /operational briefings and participate in drills and sextant training as conditions permit.
Requests for passage should contain Name(s), E-mail address, and Telephone contact numbers, School, Class Year, and License Program (Deck or Engine). Licensed Individuals should also include License Grade and a Biographical sketch that details sailing experience. Requests for inclusion must reach the USCG POC in time for inclusion on the Consolidated Crew List Request message by February 1, 2011.This allows time for EAGLE to issue invitations to selected participant, and for each invitee to schedule the required physical examination which must be faxed back to EAGLE by the attending physician two weeks prior to boarding, March 1.
Transport costs to and from the vessel are the responsibility of the volunteer/Cadet. EAGLE charges each volunteer trainee $10/day sustenance. A check for sustenance and a trainee signed liability release are to be carried on board by each trainee for collection aboard. In addition, a Liability Release Form, as well as a current Medical Form is included within the Orientation Package which EAGLE will e-mail back to each accepted applicant after February 1.