PORTSMOUTH, Va. - The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, the largest tall ship flying the stars and stripes, will dock in Portsmouth Friday, September 17.
Eagle will be moored at High Street Landing until Monday, September 20, and will offer free, public tours September 17 through September 19.
Public tour dates and times are as follows:
Friday, Sept. 17: 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. (public tours)
Saturday, Sept. 18: 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. (military/first responder tours with valid ID), 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. (public tours)
Sunday 19 Sept: 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. (military/first responder tours with valid ID), 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. (public tours)
According to the USCG, Eagle is the only active square-rigger in United States government service and has served as a classroom at sea to Coast Guard officers since 1946. This summer, Coast Guard Academy cadets aboard Eagle completed a transatlantic voyage, with stops in Azores, Iceland and Bermuda.
The ship, originally constructed in 1936, is a three-masted barque measuring 295 feet in length, with more than 22,300 square feet of sail and 6 miles of rigging aboard. According to the USCG, it was originally commissioned as the Horst Wessel by the German navy, and was a war reparation for the United States following World War II.
