The US Coast Guard’s last tall ship still in commission, the USCGC Eagle, is making a brief stop in Victoria on its way up the coast and its crew will be offering free tours to the public.
The ship was built in 1936 in Hamburg, Germany, and was originally named ‘Horst Wessel.’
Eagle was originally built for and operated by Nazi Germany to train cadets for the German Navy, but the ship was taken by the United States in 1946 as a war prize after the Second World War.
When the US took the ship, an American crew—aided by the German crew still on board—sailed the tall ship from Bremerhaven to its new homeport in New London, Connecticut.
“Built during the twilight era of sail, the design and construction of Eagle embody centuries of development in the shipbuilder’s art,” reads the US Coast Guard’s description of the vessel.
“Eagle eagerly takes to the elements for which she was designed. Effortlessly and gracefully, she drives under full sail in the open ocean at speeds up to 17 knots.”
It takes around 200 sailors to fully operate the tall ship at sea, with there being 22,000 square feet of sail and five miles of rigging.
Eagle is typically manned by a permanent crew of eight assigned officers and 50 assigned enlisted personnel maintain the ship year round.
Additionally, up to 150 cadets or officer candidates are on board at a time, while a sailing is underway.
The Eagle is currently on a 14-week tour of the west coast and Victoria is its only Canadian stop along the way.
The vessel will be docked at the Coast Guard pier at 25 Huron Street. Free tours will only be available to the public between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on July 16th and 17th.
