U.S. Coast Guard Barque Eagle (WIX 327) will visit Victoria, British Columbia for the first time since 2008 and be open to visitors on July 16 and 17.
At 295-feet in length, Eagle is the largest tall ship flying the stars and stripes and the only active square-rigger in United States government service. Constructed in 1936 by the Blohm and Voss Shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, and originally commissioned as the Horst Wessel by the German Navy, Eagle was a war reparation for the United States following World War II. Eagle is a three-masted barque with more than 22,300 square feet of sail and six miles of rigging. Eagle has served as a classroom at sea and a leadership laboratory for future Coast Guard officers since 1946, offering an at-sea leadership and professional development experience as part of the Coast Guard Academy.
Victoria marks the eighth port call of Eagle’s 14-week journey along the West Coast. Many Coast Guard Academy practices are steeped in what the Academy mission refers to as “the sea and its lore.” These traditions date back to the golden age of sail, when vessels like Eagle made up the Navy and Revenue Cutter Service, the precursor of the modern United States Coast Guard. Eagle also serves as a goodwill ambassador for the United States and Coast Guard, making calls at foreign ports to foster relations with partner nations.
