Welcome Aboard The CG Barque Eagle
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Click on chart for Eagle's current position
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Scapa Flow, Orkney Islands
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Awaiting word to return to Edinburgh, Eagle spends some time along the
coast of Scotland. Sailing the same waters as the 13th century Vikings, Eagle
anchors in Scapa Flow.
All photos are credited: U.S. Coast Guard photograph by Petty Officer Second Class Andrea Rask.
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June 18, 2005
The Coast Guard Barque Eagle, homeported in New London, Conn.
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Captain's Log by 1/c Eric Majeska for Capt. E. J. Shaw
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With some time to spare before Eagle’s return to Edinburgh, why not take some time to see some of Scotland’s historic coastline? With this thought in mind, Eagle anchored today in Scapa Flow. Scapa Flow is a natural harbor in The Orkney Islands of Northern Scotland famous for harboring captured German warships and the tragic sinking of the HMS Royal Oak, an English naval ship. The transit into the harbor could not have been more perfect with calm seas, a gentle headwind, and the warmest day yet on the cruise. Or at least it seemed so on a cursory inspection. Lurking at and under the surface were currents that, according to the chart, average six to nine knots and have been regularly reported to increase up to 12 to 16 knots. EAGLE embarked a local maritime pilot who expertly predicted the 4-6 kt currents EAGLE experienced. With that forewarning and superb shiphandlng by newly-commissioned Ensign Bobbie-Jean Felix, EAGLE's transit into Scapa Flow was safe and uneventful. Following the anchoring, cadets took advantage of the opportunity to go aloft and view the scenic coastline. Small farms peppered the bright green fields along the tall cliffs, and "Hedicoos," sometimes described as a small mammoths or oversized furry American cows with horns, could be seen grazing along the sharp edges. [Ed note: Subtract the Scottish brogue and "Hedicoos" becomes "Hairy Cows."]
The warm weather also drew cadets out to the waist with their pilates balls and jump ropes to work on reducing some of those extra pounds they brought back from their First Phase cutters. Optional morning workouts have also started among cadets; however, attendance has been low due to the common cadet tendency to remain in their racks for as long as possible. But with the personal fitness exam on a constant bearing decreasing range course, attendance should pick up soon.
The Barque will depart in the afternoon, after spending the night in harbor (or harbour, since we are in Europe). With only a few days until Edinburgh, rumors of liberty, or limited liberty, spread throughout the ship. But with such an unpredictable schedule, it is hard to say if the cadets and crew will get a second round of Edinburgh Castle. Reattaching the yard to the mast is no small feat and this task must take priority over liberty.
The third class cadets are now only a week into their Second Phase but through almost half of their underway time. With all the port calls loaded at the end of the phase, the cadets only have 12 days of underway time left until they arrive in Portugal. There is a great deal to accomplish, but with the skills they acquired on their past cutter and a refined training program, Second Phase will certainly turn out as a success.
18 June 2005 by BMC Todd Weimorts
Boatswain's Mate 1st Class Matt Harkins teaches knot-tying class on the boat deck.
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It has been an exciting six weeks for me aboard the EAGLE. This is my second summer on the Barque as a trainer/instructor. As much as I liked last summer with class of 2007, I am enjoying being with 2008 much more. I taught all these cadets this past school year, and I am so personally and professionally gratified to see them applying their knowledge. It is hard to think of them as anything other than “my kids,” as I have grown so close to them. I will always have a special place in my heart for 2008. I am impressed and floored by their gifts and abilities every day. What I am enjoying the most is getting to know them outside the classroom, and see them as they are in the “wild.”
EAGLE anchored yesterday in a very historic place in northern Scotland, Scapa Flow. Being a history buff, I was thrilled to be able to spend time in a place I had heard and read of, but thought I would never see. Being a diver, I also have been intrigued by the great wreck dive possibilities of Scapa Flow. A brief history of the harbor...
Scapa Flow is a natural harbor that has been used over many centuries, from the Viking fleet of the 13th Century, to the present day. It formed an important northern base for the British fleets in both world wars.
(L to R) 3/c Seaton and 3/c Briggs assemble a P-100 pump during morning training.
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During the First World War, the British Grand Fleet used Scapa Flow as its primary base. Stationing the fleet here allowed the royal navy to bottle up the German High Seas Fleet in the North Sea. Any attempt to enter the Atlantic on the German’s part would involve either a direct clash with the Grand Fleet, or a highly dangerous “dash” through the English Channel. After a German U-Boat managed to enter the Flow early in the war, merchant ships were sent as block ships in strategic places and anti-submarine nets were put in place. From this base, vessels from the fleet made sweeps in search of the enemy.
In 1916, the Grand Fleet left to fight in the Battle of Jutland. Twenty four battleships and three battle cruisers, plus destroyers and scouting cruisers set out under the command of Admiral Sir John Jellicoe. They met the German fleet in battle. There was much damage wrought, with many thousands of casualties, but both sides believed they had won. However, after the battle, the Kaiser's fleet never went to sea again.
After the armistice of 1918, 74 ships of the German High Seas Fleet were ordered into Scapa Flow to be interned. They arrived in November, and stayed here for 10 months. During this time, they became a tourist attraction, with boat trips to see them. By June 1919, Rear Admiral von Reuter, the German officer in command at Scapa Flow, knew that Germany would have to accept surrender terms. When the main part of the British Fleet left the Flow for exercises, he gave the order for the German fleet to be scuttled.
(L to R)1/c Greg Dahl explains the purpose of the main sheet to 3/c Lafond, 3/c Cuttie and Commander Bostwick.
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Most of the scuttled fleet did not stay where they had sunk. Those that were beached were removed almost immediately. In the 1920s, the firm Cox & Douglas began salvage operations, lifting many of the ships. This salvage continued until the advent of World War II, and only eight scuttled ships now remain in the Flow.
During World War II, the Home Fleet was based at Scapa Flow, from where it helped to protect the Arctic Convoys to Murmansk.
In October, 1939, only a month after war had been declared, an assault on Scapa Flow was planned using the U-Boat U-47, commanded by Lieutenant Günther Prien. On the night of October 13th, the U-boat managed to pass between the Orkney Mainland and Lamb Holm into Scapa Flow, between two northerly block ships. Just after midnight, HMS ROYAL OAK was sighted in Scapa Bay. Torpedoes were fired from five miles away, and a hole 30 feet in diameter was made in the hull. She capsized, and of the crew of 1400 men, 833 lost their lives. The U-47 was able to slip away undetected.
HMS ROYAL OAK is a protected war grave, much like the USS ARIZONA, and each year on the anniversary of the sinking, there are memorial services.
Scapa Flow is no longer used by the Royal Navy, but is now home to an oil refinery, as well as being the homeport of many fishing vessels. Tourism is increasingly becoming a large part of the Orkney Islands’ economy.
18 June 2005 by PA2 A. R. Rask
Damage Controlman 1st Class Sobieski helps 3/c Grunder don an SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus).
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Today was one of those Eagle days that'll be hard for me to forget. The air was among the warmest we've felt yet, not a cloud in the sky, with the sun warming us with all its intensity. Coming into Scapa Flow, we were met by calm, almost rippleless waters. On either side of us were steep cliffs topped with green rolling hills dotted with old world war bunkers. Lt. Fleming came over the 1MC to explain that our transit was taken decades earlier by a German U-boat that torpedoed the British HMS Royal Oak, which sank just offshore with 833 men still on board--the UK's USS Arizona. Years prior, during WWI, an entire fleet of Germany ships, taken by Britain as war reparation, was torpedoed in the bay by its own country. I wondered what we would look like from the dark harbor floor, backlit by sunlight. A sense of reverence came over the ship during our transit in. I probably wasn't the only one envisioning this now peaceful harbor the way it had been full of warships and a whole fleet being sacrificed.
3/c Gibson washes dishes in scullery.
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After anchoring, though, during afternoon training, Eagle became its lively self again. On the waist, DC1 Sobieski taught SCBA training to a group of cadets, with oxygen tank bells sounding off right next to MK1 Hennessy's P-100 and hose-handling class. BM1 Greer had another group of cadets straightening up Eagle's lines about the decks while several cadets, unsure of their coiling abilities, made up and undid their lines several times until they were satisfied. Dozens more cadets were standing about, pointing at various pins, reciting their pintail diagram to themselves. Other cadets, taken by the warmth of the sun, lay or sat on the decks with paper pin rail diagrams over their heads, learning by osmosis instead. In the galley, the food staff listened to music and artfully balanced large trays of fish fillets and potatoes on a counter here, a rail there, waiting for a cooking or cutting area to open. The menu: salmon, chicken soup, spinach salad, carrots, sugar cookies, even some leftover shepherd's pie from the night before.
On the boat deck, BM3 Summers waxed the small boat engine cover, while Seaman Yates sanded the blocks taken down from the main mast during the upper yard's repair. Nearby, Seaman Fabian climbed down from the shrouds, boatswain’s chair slung over his shoulder, shroud slush seeped into the pores and cracks of his hands.
Now, almost taps, I am thinking of those below us who never had the chance to see this bay return to the peaceful place it now is. Tomorrow we will render honors to them with our cannons, merely faint echoes of the shells they endured before us.
17 June 2005 by 3/c David Seaton
(L to R) 3/c York helps Food Specialist 1st Class Stan Hamman cook a large batch of salmon
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Yaaar, so there I was...it was a pretty routine day yesterday. I woke up, brushed my teeth, took a shower, ate breakfast, and went to sail stations. As it turns out, the Barque had too much lee helm so we needed to douse the course and upper on the fore. For all the pollywogs and the landlubbers out there, that means we had to spill the wind out of the bottom and the middle square sail on the front mast. After heaving on several clewlines, buntlines, leechlines, and buntleechlines (the lines required to douse the sail) we strapped on our safety harness and climbed up into the rigging to sea furl the sails. Later that day my division had midwatch, we where we took turns alternating between helm (steering the ship) and quartermaster (plotting the position of the ship). Then we went to sleep. So, what did you do yesterday?
17 June 2005 by 3/c Jon Page
Seaman Sara Johnson wipes the metal clean before painting on the mizzen pin rail.
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About five days underway now, and things are picking up. The first couple of days blurred together-the trip to Fort Dix was the LONGEST bus ride, followed by the trans-Atlantic flight. Stepping out on the airport terminal was amazing--it really did not look like anything special--a runway and airplanes. But as we got closer to Eagle, you realized that you were anywhere but near home.
Giving tours was probably the coolest thing about coming over. People were so nice and friendly. They used words like “class,” “mate,” and “cheers.” Everyone was telling me about what to do and what to see when I got off duty.
(L to R) 3/c Paxson and Putnam make up the fore upper and lower braces.
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Out on liberty, everything looked familiar, like any big city, however Edinburgh had a Scottish hint to it. From the main road you could see a castle (how many people from back home can walk out of the mall and look up and see that?).
Last year, I really did not go aloft that often. However this year I have climbed almost every sail stations. Being out on a yardarm when the seas are kind of tossing you around while you are trying to sea furl a sail, it all just seems a bit surreal. How many of my friends have had the chance to do that? I feel lucky every time I get to stand on the helm steering such a beautiful ship at 2 a.m. in the morning.
One country down, four to go--and there is so much going on in each port. While the work onboard is sometimes long and hard, the port calls in between are totally worth it. Exploring Europe with friends and sailing the North Atlantic--not too bad for a summer job!
17 June 2005 by 3/c Lindsay Putnam
Operations Specialist 1st Class John Babson climbs the mizzen mast.
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Today was the first short-sleeves day of our time on Eagle. This morning my division had the 8 a.m. to noon watch on deck--exciting as always and eventful for sure. It took us nearly two hours to stack the yardarms for anchor, and the other two hours were consumed by studying our pin rails and training for man-overboard. As soon as watch was over, we headed up to the boat deck to relax in the sun, read a book or talk with friends. The warmth and sunshine were welcome after a week of the cold Scotland rain, as was the free time we had this afternoon, in contrast to five days previous of constant training and watches.
Now we’re anchored, all the third class cadets are trying to get whatever they can out of the beautiful day until it gets cold again. It’s been a comparatively relaxing day--the trip overall has been nonstop and busy, but fun. It’s still hard to believe that we’re sailing through five countries in six weeks--what an opportunity! I’m looking forward to completing the adventure with more warm weather and new experiences.
17 June 2005 by Katie Colella
(L to R) 3/c Anderson, Seaman Jim Dodd and 3/c Magin stand lookout watch.
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Day six underway, and I stood midwatch last night for the first time. It’s pretty awesome when you can watch the sun set and rise within a three-hour time period. During the watch, we passed a ferry, so I had a chance to call in a visual contact for the first time. Right now we’re all on the waist; most people are asleep while waiting for quarters. Today is definitely the nicest day we’ve had yet. Later this afternoon we’re going to be anchoring in Scapa Flow Bay, Scotland. It’s lined with bunkers that were used by the British during World War II, which makes for some pretty neat pictures. EAGLE is going to stay here overnight and then return to Edinburgh where the upper top yardarm is being repaired; there hasn’t been much wind at all over the last 24 hours so sailing has been a little bit tough. Next up is anti-terrorism force protection training, where we will be getting briefed about procedures for security watch standers in our upcoming port calls.
17 June 2005 by 3/c Sam Heuler
A chart of Scapa Flow, highlighting wreck sites in the area. Some of the red spots are the scuttled German ships and the HMS Royal Oak wreck and memorial is in green.
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Well, it’s our sixth day out to sea and our first sunny and semi-warm one. The last week has been a blur of long days, short nights, and watches. But, now that we have been underway for a few days the ship is starting to fall into the routine of daily training and sail stations. Life was hectic for the first few days trying to break in a new group of third class into sailing a square rigger with training on everything from our emergency station billets to the memorization of every line on the ship. The seas have been relatively calm for our phase so far but rain and cold have plagued us up until this point. With a break in the clouds last night I was able to view a gorgeous sunset over the glassy Atlantic, only to watch it rise again no more than 4 hours later while standing helm and lookout duty on the midwatch. As much fun as sailing this ship is, I know that I just count down the days to the next port call and the next leg of the adventure. Hopefully it will be just as enjoyable and rewarding.
17 June 2005 by 3/c Linden Dahlkemper
When Eagle is at least 12 nautical miles from land, biodegradable trash can be thrown overboard.
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Right now Eagle sits anchored in Scapa Flow--a bay in the islands just north of Scotland. After almost a week sailing every day on the Barque, we’re spending the night here--a historic place for England (think World Wars and the British Fleet.) Other than that, it’s a typical night: groups of 3/c sitting on the waist, fishing off the fantail and those “more motivated” among us jump roping, doing crunches and otherwise working out. I prefer to believe the two or three-a-day sail stations are keeping me in shape. I’m also considering putting on a harness to climb the lower shrouds. We’ll see, maybe when I finished writing.
On a lighter note, today was the most gorgeous day so far! The sun was out all day, so at lunch we reverted to the swab summer style “seal effect,” sunning ourselves on the waist. It should be a beautiful sunset, sometime between 10 and 11 p.m. tonight.
Lastly a shout out to friends of Main Four, the coolest division on the Barque. Yesterday we showed off our stellar sea furling skills, and now the yardarm looks hot! To all the moms and dads of Eagle cadets, it's sweet hanging out (literally) with your children. Well I may go do something fitness-like now.
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