Training sailing ship USCGC Eagle (WIX-327)

USCGC Eagle and also known as Barque Eagle, is a three-masted barque used as a training cutter for future officers of the United States Coast Guard.

Each summer, Eagle deploys with cadets from the United States Coast Guard Academy and candidates from the Officer Candidate School for periods ranging from a week to two months. These voyages fulfill multiple roles. The primary mission is training the cadets and officer candidates.

The ship in 1936 was built as the German sail training ship Horst Wessel served to train German sailors in sail techniques until decommissioned at the start of World War II. At the end of the war, SSS Horst Wessel was taken by the U.S. as war reparations.

From late 1942 through early 1945, she sailed on numerous training deployments in the Baltic sea with cadets fresh out of basic training. Training at sea on a sailing vessel has always been a part of the Coast Guard Academy curriculum.

The ship has undergone numerous refits since she was acquired by the Coast Guard in 1946. Eagle has a three-masted barque sailing rig, with two masts fully rigged with 'square sails' and one mast with only 'fore-and-aft' sails. The large sail area of the 'square sails' provide much of the power while the 'fore-and-aft' sails enable superior maneuverability. The ship has over 9.7 km of running rigging and approximately 2,070 m2 of sail area. To protect sails from chafing, Eagle uses baggywrinkle extensively.

The main helm station, also known as the triple helm, is connected via mechanical shaft linkage to the steering gear located in the «captain's coffin» on the fantail along with the emergency, or «trick» wheel (also referred to as aft steering). Three turns of the main helm station equal one degree of rudder turn. That is why six persons are used to steer during heavy weather and while operating in restricted waterways. The emergency, or «trick» wheel is a single wheel that turns at a rate of one revolution to one degree of rudder turn. It thus requires more force to turn.

Eagle is slightly larger than her sister ship Gorch Fock. Overall Eagle displaces 1,824 tons. The hull is riveted Krupp steel four-tenths of an inch thick (10 mm). There are two full-length steel decks with a platform deck below. The raised forecastle and quarterdeck are made of quarter inch steel overlaid with 76 mm of teak, as are the weather decks.

Auxiliary propulsion was originally provided by a single Burmeister & Wain diesel with reduction gear producing 750 horsepower (560 kW). She was refitted with a 1,000 horsepower (750 kW) Caterpillar D399 V16 diesel engine in 1980, and again with a 1,200 horsepower (890 kW) MTU 8V 4000 in 2018, providing speeds up to 17 knots (19.5 mph/31 km/h) under power.

There are two 320 kW (430 hp) Caterpillar generators that can be run by themselves or in parallel together. Eagle has a range of 5,450 nautical miles (10,000 km) at her cruising speed of 7.5 knots (14 km/h) under diesel power. She carries a reverse osmosis system that replenishes the ship's fresh water supply at sea. Eagle`s traditional homeport of New London, Connecticut, USA.