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Welcome Aboard The CG Barque Eagle
June 7, 2005 75 miles NW of The Netherlands Liberty expires ... Barque Eagle departs Bremerhaven, Germany to sail across the North Sea to Scotland. All photos are credited: U.S. Coast Guard photograph by Petty Officer Second Class Andrea Rask.	The Coast Guard Barque Eagle, homeported in New London, Conn.

Captain's Log by 1/c Eric Majeska for Capt. E. J. Shaw

Three long blasts of the horn, a salute and farewell signal from a neighboring tug, signified the end of Eagle’s port call in Bremerhaven, Germany, where the Eagle last visited in 1946. Cadets and crew were busy about the decks during the transit out, each playing his or her own part in the complicated process of leaving the port. The entire transit out of the port turned into a six-hour process through thin channels, a lock, and even one point where Eagle had only three feet on each side. During the transit out, the Eagle was surrounded by many freighters of more than three times her length. These provided many cadets, still working on their lookout qualifications, with a multitude of contacts to report to the bridge.

While departing, cadets and crew caught a last glimpse of the “Zoo am Meer,” Bremerhaven’s local sea zoo, a popular sight to visit during the port call. The zoo was kind enough to offer free admission to Eagle's crew, who enjoyed viewing the polar bears, sea lions, and the artic fox. Another popular place to visit was the city of Bremen. Bremen held both modern and historical attractions, such as the original Beck’s brewery and cathedrals with basement crypts dating back to the 1000s.

Cadets giving tours of the ship over the weekend in Germany had a particularly interesting experience, as German sailors would approach them with pictures of themselves standing on Eagle when it still belonged to Germany as "Horst Wessel." All were extremely moved at the sight of Eagle, and were grateful to crew and cadets for the pride and effort they had put into taking care of her over the years.

Of particular interest to many people on board was the visit of Mr. Peter Schnibbe, artist and son of the Eagle's last German captain from 1942 to 1946. Captain Schnibbe, along with the Eagle's first commanding officer, Captain McGowan, sailed the Eagle back to the United States after it was taken as a war reparation in 1946 and renamed. Peter Schnibbe's experience on the Eagle was captured by many local media outlets, which kept the Eagle well represented in the news over the weekend. During his visit, he also presented Captain Shaw with a piece of his art--a view of the Eagle in front of war-torn Bremerhaven.

Also over the weekend in Germany, we also said goodbye to a shipmate, Petty Officer Steve Selph, the Eagle's storekeeper for three years, after a farewell ceremony during which he received a commendation medal from Captain Shaw. In his place, Petty Officer Christene Lynch, a newer storekeeper to the Coast Guard, has joined Eagle and is now learning the ropes, so to speak.

While Eagle sets out to sea again, only six days are left for the third cadets on Eagle. Next, each cadet will depart on a separate path for his or her next summer cutter, or for summer school. Scotland is only three underway days away, and the cadets are finishing up the last of their tasks to be completed on Eagle. There is still plenty left to do, as the journey that seemed so long for them is already nearly at its end.

06 June 2005 by 3/c Andrew Lund

Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Iliada Barbosa stands quartermaster of the watch in the pilot house.

The time I spent in Germany over the last few days was amazing. The country was beautiful and the people were friendly. It was an experience in itself to try and communicate with the locals without any German vocabulary. After more than two weeks underway, being able to talk to my family and loved ones was well worth the hefty phone bills. I am looking forward to spending time in Scotland. These next few days underway should fly by. I am also anxious to head home and see my family and friends. The experiences I have had, and the knowledge that I have gained over the past few weeks are invaluable.

06 June 2005 by 3/c Craig Johnson

Boatswain's Mate 1st Class Matt Harkins protects Eagle's side with a bumper in the Bremerhaven, Germany, locks.

Germany fulfilled and surpassed my expectations. I was able to visit Bremerhaven, Bremen, and Hamburg. The first two nights I spent in Bremerhaven because I had duty. Then we took the train to Hamburg to spend the night. On the way back from Hamburg we stopped in Bremen for the afternoon and night.

Hamburg was great. We spent the day looking around the town and then went to the Reeperbon at night. There was a lot of history in Hamburg and the night on the Reeperbon was great. The next morning we went to the fish market. It was a huge farmer’s market where you could buy anything. Then we went to Bremen. The market square held a lot to see. Most of the city was closed so we just looked around and ate dinner. Around 9 p.m., we took the train back to Bremerhaven. It was an awesome weekend after such a long trip underway. Germany was great and I look forward to Scotland.

Now, we are supposed to run into heavy seas. Today is Mexican Monday, and I hope I don’t have to see my taco salad again.

06 June 2005 by 3/c Meredith Tate

A view of Eagle and the harbor of Bremerhaven, Germany.

Today, we got underway from Germany on our journey across the North Sea to Scotland! Liberty expired at 10 a.m. this morning, so that gave everyone not on the duty section some time to run out for one last German pastry or sleep in a bit later before all of the special sea detail preparations. Today was kept full with a six-hour sea detail,

Machinery Technician 2nd Class James Gray instructs 3/c Patrick Plummer on the throttle during special sea detail.

another time zone change, and a return to the schedule of watches and training. Even though we’re already far away from land, I think most of our thoughts are still on the great port call in Bremerhaven. Eagle was so well received by the people who came for tours. It was really neat how even out in the city, people would approach us and ask us questions in their best English about the ship and our training program. Everyone was very welcoming and helpful, not to mention very tolerant of our less than perfect German! The city itself was gorgeous and filled with small shops and restaurants where a lot of us did some shopping and had fun spending most of our third class cadet paychecks! It’s hard to believe that in four days we’ll be arriving in Scotland, and will then be headed either on leave or to our next cutters. Our time on Eagle has gone fast and I know we’re all excited to bring home our pictures and souvenirs to show all of our friends and families. Sailing across the Atlantic and the North Sea does not seem like an unusual summer to us, but it is really, and has been an awesome experience that everyone at home seems so anxious to hear about! Since we’re back underway, I think I’m going to go get a good night sleep and get ready for the last few days of first phase Eagle!

06 June 2005 by 3/c Katie Ustler

The navigation brief on the bridge prior to Eagle getting underway from Bremerhaven.

Saying goodbye to Germany is a bittersweet thing. On a positive note, we don’t have to worry about trying to figure out what people are saying when we make an attempt to speak with them. But, on the negative note, we are leaving a world of amazing chocolate and 1 Euro ice cream. Germany has definitely been the best port call so far. The language barrier was tough, but able to be overcome. The first full day in port, I was on the brow welcoming the people for tours. It was incredible to see how many people coming to see Eagle were on it as sea cadets in the 1940’s when it was “Horst Wessel.” There were so many sites to see in Bremerhaven as well as in Bremen. We got to go see the statue of the famous “Bremen Musicians,” walk through breathtaking parks, and eat tons of ice cream! Now after six hours of special sea details and watch on deck, I’m back on Eagle, back out on the water anticipating our next stop in Scotland. It’s strange to look over the side and see so many other vessels out on the water. The Atlantic cross was lonely and if there was a contact it was far off on the horizon. Now you step out on deck and there are at least three off each side.

02 June 2005 by 3/c Kathryn Gartland

3/c cadets stand by on the helm during special sea detail.

Today was the day! I came up on deck to man a mooring line and there it was: grass, trees, LAND!!! You know you’ve been out to sea long enough when you get excited about seeing a house, haha! It took quite a while to actually moor up. We had to go through a lock and then weave around in tight spaces with the help of brake tugs and the like.

But that didn’t stop the media. Reporters boarded before we were even moored up. They began immediately to film the cadets and crew, and it didn’t take long for them to discover one of my classmates who speaks German. They conducted one interesting interview with some other girls and myself in the background as he discussed the rarity for them of seeing women aboard a military vessel.

When libo was finally granted, I took my time getting ready, just because I could. I went out with a few other girls, and it didn’t take us long to find a local mall. We were going to see a few sights after shopping, but they decided to head back to the ship instead. I ended up going out to eat with another group of at a restaurant called Picalilli’s. We were all reminded the hard way that when you order water in Germany, what you get is seltzer water, haha! But we were all for being adventurous, so we went ahead and ordered random dishes we couldn’t read. We ended up liking everything, even the snail one girl ordered! Open minds are always a necessity in a foreign country.

A 1938 picture of German Horst Wessel sailors gathered around the main mast.

Seaman Rebekah May is the lee helmsman during special sea detail out of Bremerhaven.

Captain Shaw is presented with a painting of Eagle in front of war-torn Germany, by Mr. Peter Schnibbe, the artist son of Horst Wessel's last German Captain.

Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Christopher Summers takes in a mooring line as Eagle casts off the pier on Bremerhaven.