America's Tall Ship, the Coast Guard Cutter Eagle (WIX-327) is a 295-foot three-masted barque that was built in 1936 in Hamburg, Germany under the name Horst Wessel. The United States received the Eagle as a war reparation from Germany in 1946.
The cutter Eagle serves as a training vessel for Coast Guard Academy cadets and candidates from the Officer Candidate School. It is the only active-duty sailing vessel in America's military, and one of only two commissioned sailing vessels, along with the USS Constitution.
The primary mission of the Eagle is training. In addition to learning the nautical traditions of their profession, cadets learn basic seamanship and navigation skills as well as important team-building and leadership skills.
U.S. Coast Guard video by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Lally
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