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The Big German in the Big Apple for the Spirit of 86

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With the recent visit to Baltimore, New York, and Boston, and victory in the Five Sisters Race off Cape Cod by the German training barque SSS Gorch Fock, repeating the windjammer’s Bicentennial Op Sail ’76 win, we would be remiss not to mention another German training ship that came by to bask in the 4th of July events back in ’86.

Here we see the training cruiser Deutschland (A 59) of the then-West German Navy passing during the International Naval Review celebrating the centennial of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor on 4 July 1986.

Note the myriad of small boat traffic! The USCG would never allow that today. CWO3 Montie Talbert III, DN-ST-87-02482, National Archives Identifier 6421663.

And another shot from the same day.

Crew members man the rail aboard the training cruiser (Ausbildungskreuzer) Deutschland (A 59) during the International Naval Review in New York. Photographed by Emmet Francois, DN-ST-87-01180. National Archives Identifier 6421149

The schulschiff, or schoolship, Deutschland (A59) was commonly referred to by West Germany’s Bundesmarine as a “training cruiser” throughout her 24-year Cold War-era career.

Just 5,700 tons at the max, she wasn’t much of a “cruiser” when compared to contemporary Atomic-era designs (she was ordered in 1958). The 453-foot vessel had no armor, was capable of just 22 knots at maximum speed, and her main battery consisted of four 4″/55 guns, making her more of a very slow gun-armed destroyer.

Deutschland (A59). Via 1967 Jane’s

Nonetheless, FGS Deutschland was the fifth “Deutschland” in 80 years of German naval history, following in the footsteps of a London-built central battery ironclad of the 1870s, a pre-dreadnought-era battlewagon, and the well-known WWII “pocket battleship.”

Unlike her forerunners, FGS Deutschland was a happy ship, carrying out three-month training cruises each summer for up to 250 naval cadets and chief petty officers, never seeing combat.

Check out this great 10-minute Cold War German film, covering a summer “School at Sea” during her 1984 cruise.

Clouds on Cape Cod: The (Four of the) Five Sisters Cup Finish

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The 400-mile run from the Hudson through the Cape Cod Precautionary Area to Boston by four of the Gorch Fock-class training barques over the weekend was won by Gorch Fock II, which also won the original OpSail76 Five Sisters Race and is the current holder of the Tiffany Trophy.

Ironically, the ship’s skipper, Capt. Elmar Bornkessel is a USN vet, sort of, having previously served as an exchange officer aboard USS Lake Erie (CG 70) from 2004 to 2006.

German Navy ship Gorch Fock transits Boston Harbor during the Sail250 Boston Parade of Sail, July 11, 2026. Sail250 Boston is a global gathering of tall ships and military vessels in Boston’s historic waterfront to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the founding of the United States. This milestone maritime festival includes more than 50 ships from around the world. From the first Continental Navy to today’s global force, the Navy’s story is America’s story — one of courage, innovation, and an unbreakable commitment to winning and preserving independence. Sail250 Boston honors the maritime heritage that helped build the nation and the Navy’s enduring role in protecting freedom, preserving prosperity, and defending America’s independence. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Coronado)

The Five Sisters’ Cup is awarded to the ship that has the fastest time from New York to Boston as part of Sail250 celebrations July 9-10, 2026. German Navy training vessel Gorch Fock won the cup in 1976 and again in 2026. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Rajesh Harrilal)

The USCGC Eagle (ex-SSS Horst Wessel) came in second while NRP Sagres (ex-SSS Albert Leo Schlageter) and NS Bricul Mircea brought up the rear.

Marine Traffic showed the quartet running– canvas only on the final 57-mile leg- between 6.5 and 8 knots, which isn’t surprising as they were tacking upwind (south-westerly, Force 4–5 on the Beaufort scale) while off the Cape.

All in all, the event produced some epic images.

A mix of USCG and Romanian Navy photos:

Seaman Matheus Kirchner, a deck member assigned to U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle (WIX 327), climbs down from the shrouds to the main deck while underway in the Atlantic Ocean, July 8, 2026. Eagle is participating in the Five Sisters Race from New York to Boston as part of Sail250. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Ashly Murphy)

Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher Trader, left, and Petty Officer 3rd Class Jacob Haslem, boatswain’s mates assigned to U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle (WIX 327), replace the flying jib staysail aboard Eagle while underway, July 8, 2026. Eagle carries spare sails for each sail aboard to support continued operations. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Ashly Murphy)

The USCGC Stone served as escort for the Sisters

Among the souvenirs and tokens exchanged, the skippers of the three allied square riggers all recived a painting of Eagle via the USCG’s Art Program

Of course, the “one owner” German-manned ship is much newer (1958) than the other three circa 1930s ships, built to an improved design, and has a Constant Speed Propeller on her auxiliary diesel which can be feathered rather than freewheeling like her older sisters, but it was a close-run event and a perfect day for sailing.

And waiting for them in Boston was the Navy’s oldest commissioned warship and only frigate, USS Constitution, “Old Ironsides.”

All in all, Sail250 was just all-around outstanding.

Four Sisters Race

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As touched on previously, four of the greater Gorch Fock-class training barques (USCGC Eagle, FGS Gorch Fock II, NRP Sagres, and NMS Mircea) met up in Norfolk earlier this summer as part of Sail250 and carried on to New York.

Now, headed to Boston for the final leg of the tour, they are racing under canvas, with no “iron topsails” (auxiliary engines) involved, a rematch of sorts to the famous 1976 Five Sisters Cup run by the class for OpSail76.

As noted by the USCG: “Yesterday, their commanding officers, sail masters, and cadets gathered for a commemorative breakfast. Today, friendship gives way to friendly competition. Fair winds and following seas to every crew.”

Sal has the full details.

Family reunion

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If you are reading this blog, you likely already know that “America’s Tall Ship,” the 269-foot steel-hulled three-masted barque USCGC Eagle (WIX-327), started life in 1936 as one of the quartet of John Stanley-designed Gorch Fock-class school ships (segelschulschiff) for the German Kriegsmarine (Gorch Fock, Horst Wessel, Albert Leo Schlageter, and Herbert Norkus), followed by Mircea for the Romanian Navy.

Horst Wessel (the future USCGC Eagle) at the Mürwik Naval Academy in Flensburg, Germany, during 1937, two years before the start of WWII. 

While the U.S. got Horst Wessel (now Eagle) in 1946, and has used her ever since, and Norkus never sailed, the original Gorch Fock went to the Russians, who kept her until 2003, then gave her back to the Germans, who use her as a museum ship. The Romanians still sail Mircea, while Schlageter— sailing under the name Sagres III for Portugal since 1961 after passing through U.S. and then Brazilian ownership– is also still in active service.

Further, since the war ended, another five ships have been built to the same, although updated, design. These include yet another Gorch Fock (built for West Germany in 1958), Gloria (1967, Colombia), Guayas (1976, Ecuador), Simón Bolívar (1979, Venezuela), and Cuauhtémoc (1982, Mexico).

In short, nine tall ships are running around the earth to the same general specs, and at least four of them sailed into Norfolk over the weekend to take part in the Virginia installment of Operation Sail 250, which runs through June 24th.

Eagle and three of her sisters, Gorch Fock (1958), Mircea, and Sagres were reunited in Norfolk, creating an extraordinary gathering of maritime history.

All USCG images:

I got to attend the event in New Orleans earlier this month and stress to you my lesson: pick your vessel and time, keeping crowds in mind.

And if you miss them this week, the fleet will be on the move to Baltimore (25 June to 1 July), NYC (for the July 4 week), and Boston (July 11-16), getting larger at each port call.

So I went to Sail 250 in New Orleans

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Unless you have been under a rock, Sail 250, a tall ship parade joined with U.S. and allied warships, is rolling this summer from New Orleans (last week), to Norfolk/Hampton Roads (June 19 to 23), and thence to Baltimore (25 June to 1 July), NYC (for the July 4 week), and Boston (July 11-16).

The tall ships involved are mostly national training vessels and will eventually grow to 41 ships as diverse as Portugal’s NRP Sagres and Romania’s Mircea, augmented by such classic windjammers as the Elissa, Bowdoin, and Milwaukee’s Denis Sullivan.

The New Orleans leg was admittedly the smallest, with just seven tall ships (USCGC Eagle, Peru’s BAP Union, the Swedish HSwMS Gladan, the Uruguayan Navy’s ROU Capitán Miranda, the Colombian ARC Gloria, Argentine ARA Libertad, and Chilean CNS Esmeralda)

The Navy also sent USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) and Farragut (DDG 99) from Norfolk and Mayport, respectively, while the Coasties sent the 270-foot Bear-class cutter USCGC Mohawk (WMEC 913) up from Key West for tours. These warships were joined by the RN’s West Indies Station Ship, the Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessel HMS Trent (P224), and her Dutch counterpart, HNLMS Friesland (P842).

The USCG was also present on the water, providing security along the 12 tour ships, with the 87-footers USCGC Yellowfin (WPB-87319) and Sawfin (WPB-87357), and details surged from MSST Houston, MSST New York, and MSST Kings Bay.

The international tall ships were arrayed in front of the Audubon Aquarium adjacent to the French Quarter and at the end of Canal.

Farragut and Friesland were hidden in the Bywater off the Poland Street Wharf, which the crews probably loved.

Kearsarge and Eagle were in the thick of it, located off the Riverwalk Mall at the Julia Street Wharf.

The Trent, at 297 feet oal and 2,000 tons, was a good mate for Mohawk, some 270-feet and 1,830 tons, with the cutter moored outboard of the Brit. They were tucked under the twin span bridges by the cruise ship terminal.

The crowds were bonkers.

Two different friend groups of ours went for the tall ship cluster by the Aquarium and could only ever get pier-close.

Two other sets of friends went for the mighty Kearsarge, along with several thousand others. One set threw in the soggy (rain and 99 percent humidity, 100-degree “feels like” heat index) towel after two hours in line, while the others only got on LHD-3 after a 3.5-hour wait.

I managed some shots from the Riverwalk of the flattop and her consort, Eagle (ex-Horst Wessel), after the tours ended and the crowds dissipated. As I had worked at Ingalls on her sister USS Boxer (LHD-4) and had gone on sea trials and tiger cruises on the latter back in the day, I was good with just getting that close to Kearsarge and had visited Eagle several times in the past.

We chose to trek on down to the cruise ship terminal and visit Trent and Mohawk, which had no lines, no waiting.

Both ships were filled with courteous professionals, and I must say that Trent, which has been hard used since she entered the hull-strapped RN in August 2020, and has been on the Caribbean “beat” since October 2025, was very well maintained, considering.

The gently larger Trent is all but blocking the Mohawk moored alongside under the spans. Note Mohawk’s white helicopter hangar and stack.

Trent’s stomping ground is the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, and the Turks and Caicos Islands, along with the dozen Commonwealth states in the region, such as the Bahamas, Belize, Jamaica, Trinidad, etc.

Her Marlin-capable flight deck was quite cluttered with 20-foot ISO containers and spare RHIBs. Keep in mind, she can carry a platoon of RM Commandos if needed.

Note the eight “snowflake” seizures credited on her focsle. She notably set a (British) record for the amount of coke seized at sea, bagging 6,995 keys in her 2024 deployment alone.

That 30mm DS30B Mark 2 gun, though. Trent’s main battery, which is gyro-stabilized, has all the FLIR and remote FCS goodies and uses a 30mm Bushmaster cannon capable of reaching out to 5,100m. The new U.S. Mk 38 Mod 4 MGS is very similar, using the same gun with an optional 12.7 mm coaxial to boot.

The SA80 is at the ready on the quarterdeck. After having fired one of these in the past, I can agree with the trope that this is one of the worst bullpups ever made, but it has soldiered on for the past 40 years. As the Brits say with resignation, “it can’t be helped.”

One of Trent’s well-equipped minigun mounts. She formerly carried two, but these were replaced with more practical M2 Brownings and 7.62 GPMGs, carrying four of the former and two of the latter.

Trent’s blue stag on her stack represents the historic River Trent, her namesake. She is at least the seventh HMS Trent on the Admiralty’s lists going back to 1757, with the sixth being a WWII River-class frigate (K243) that went on to serve with the Indian Navy.

Mohawk as seen from Trent with her glad rags flying. Note Trent’s Western Approaches style camouflage, calling back to WWII. 

A rare sight for a 270: her hangar, empty and open.

My advice if attending Sail 250: enjoy the initial sail in from a high vantage point, then pick your vessel and time, keeping crowds in mind.

Enjoy!

Eagle, South!

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America’s tall ship, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle (WIX 327), broke out canvas to depart Fort Trumbull in New London, on Saturday to begin the training vessel’s annual three-month summer cruise. Some 88 years young, she is carrying her fifth, recently installed, figurehead on her bow, in addition to a working cargo of mids.

For those not already aware, Eagle, a trophy ship from WWII, is a majestic 295-foot, three-masted barque used as a training vessel for future officers of the USCG and NOAA and is simultaneously the largest tall ship flying the Stars and Stripes and the only active square-rigger in U.S. government service.

Eagle’s 2024 full summer schedule includes port visits to:

  • May 25 – May 28: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
  • June 4 – June 7: Cartagena, Colombia
  • June 14 – June 17: San Juan, Puerto Rico
  • June 24 – June 27: Bridgetown, Barbados
  • July 7 – July 10: Hamiliton, Bermuda
  • July 18 – July 21: Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • July 26 – July 29: Portsmouth, New Hampshire
  • Aug. 2 – August 5: Rockland, Maine
  • Aug. 9 – August 12: Boston, Massachusetts

Eagle is scheduled to return to New London on Aug. 16.

A more detailed look at her sked:

If you have a chance to visit her, you will not be disappointed.

A Peek At Curtis Bay

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While the Navy still maintains four government-run public Naval Shipyards (Norfolk, Portsmouth, Puget Sound, and Pearl), an often forgotten gem in its smaller sister service, the Coast Guard, is the U.S. Coast Guard Yard. Located on just 22 acres of waterfront along Maryland’s Curtis Bay just south of the Baltimore city limits, the little yard that could is the Service’s sole shipbuilding and major repair facility, and has held that title since 1899. The USCGY, besides a longstanding tradition of performing overhauls and SLEPs on the service’s aging cutters (including assets going back to the 1940s), is the last American supporter of MK 75 76mm guns.

The yard just posted a great series of drone shots showcasing its operations.

The ship lift is full to expanded capacity thanks to the $26M Shiplift Expansion Project that added a third rail system. You even get a different perspective of the 87-foot Patrol Boats being crane-lifted!

Note the gray hulls to the left, likely 87-foot WPBs getting ready to be transferred to an overseas ally as aid. At least five other white hull WPBs are further up on the left corner. Two buoy tenders are to the left along with another 87 while the barque Eagle and a 270-foot cutter are in dry dock ashore with a 110-foot Island class WPB ahead of them

Check out the 87 foot Maritime Protector patrol boat (WPB) being lifted. The 87-foot Recurring Depot Availability Program (RDAP) project is a four-year recurring maintenance cycle for the Coast Guard’s entire Atlantic Area 87-foot coastal patrol boat fleet (47 vessels). Each cutter is at the Yard for a 66-day planned maintenance period. Crews arrive with a “used” 87-foot patrol boat and pick up a freshly overhauled patrol boat from the Yard, which they immediately sail back to their homeport.

America’s tall ship, USCGC Eagle, alongside a 270-foot Bear class cutter undergoing SLEP. Note that the 270’s hangar is extended

Eagle, the 270 and 110-foot Island-class WPB in the foreground

Another view of the Eagle and the 270

New Eagle for the Eagle

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As we have touched on in past Warship Wednesdays, “America’s tall ship,” the United States Coast Guard Barque Eagle (WIX-327) is a 295-foot, three-masted training vessel assigned to the USCGA to serve as a schoolship for future Coast Guard and NOAA officers (as well as a smattering of cadets from overseas allies).

Built by Blohm and Voss in Hamburg, she entered service in the Gorch Fock-class segelschulschiff Horst Wessel in 1936, training the officers for the rapidly expanding Kriegsmarine.

Horst Wessel

Somehow surviving WWII, she was taken over by a USCG crew at Bremerhaven in 1946 and sailed to this side of the Atlantic where she has been active ever since. Today she is both the oldest Coast Guard vessel and the only one on active duty that participated in WWII, albeit under another flag.

She still had holdovers from her wartime service until recently, swapping out her original German-made diesel about 30 years ago for a Caterpillar D399 that was itself upgraded for a more efficient MTU 8V4000 in 2018.

Speaking of upgrades, she has just been fitted with a new figurehead.

Which is at least her fifth…

Her original German eagle figurehead

The massive figurehead was modified to carry the USCG crest in its talons, a more appropriate symbol.

Ditching the original eagle figurehead (which is now in the USCGA Museum), in 1952, the barque received the smaller eagle from the old revenue cutter-turned training vessel Salmon Chase.

Her original German figurehead is on display at the USCGA Museum

Chase’s 1890s era eagle fitted to Eagle. She carried it from 1952-70.

In 1971, it was decided to upgrade the figurehead and preserve the historic one from the Chase. With that, a copy of Chase’s was made of fiberglass and painted gold.

The fiberglass addler

It proved less than resilient and was severely damaged in heavy seas. I mean, it’s fiberglass.

In time for the Bicentennial in 1976, the damaged figurehead was replaced with a new 12-foot long one, carved of Honduras mahogany and weighing almost a ton. Gilded in gold, it served for 45 years and was just removed at the Coast Guard Yard last month.

The figurehead of the Coast Guard Cutter Eagle is seen on a foggy Sunday morning at the Coast Guard Yard, Baltimore, Nov. 17, 2013. The Eagle, a 295-foot barque home-ported in New London, Conn., is a training ship used primarily for Coast Guard cadets and officer candidates. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Lisa Ferdinando)

The new figurehead is being fitted at the USCG Yard and should be ready for sea shortly.

Via USCGY

Eagle Among the Volcanos

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USCGC Eagle (WIX 327), “America’s Tall Ship,” arrives in Reykjavik, Iceland, on June 9, 2021. Eagle is currently conducting summer U.S. Coast Guard Academy cadet training in at-sea leadership and professional development. Their first port call was Portugal in late May. Eagle has served as a classroom at sea to future Coast Guard officers since 1946, offering an at-sea leadership and professional development experience as part of the Coast Guard Academy curriculum. (Photo courtesy U.S. Embassy Reykjavik, Kristjan Petersson)

The Gorch Fock-class training barque USCGC Eagle (WIX-327), America’s only active-duty square-rigger (and past Warship Wednesday alum), recently commemorated the loss of the USCGC Hamilton in Icelandic waters during WWII, just before she arrived in Reykjavik to celebrate U.S.-Icelandic ties.

Via USCG PAO:

Aboard Eagle moored in the harbor, Vice Adm. Steven Poulin, commander U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area, joined by Jonathan Moore, principal deputy assistant secretary, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, met with Commadore Asgrimur Asgrimsson of the Icelandic coast guard, Chargé d’Affaires Harry Kamian, and Byrndis Kjartansdottir, director of security and defense directorate in the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“I congratulate Iceland on a successful Arctic Council and Arctic Coast Guard Forum chairmanship, and I thank them for their persistent and reliable partnership in the Arctic Council and Arctic Coast Guard Forum. Maintaining a strong, rules-based order in the Arctic remains a top priority, both for my command and the U.S. Coast Guard. Steadfast partners like Iceland enable and enforce this,” said Vice Adm. Steven Poulin. “It was a great pleasure to discuss the challenges we share with such dedicated colleagues learning more about our partner agencies and their operations.”

The United States was the first country to recognize Iceland’s independence in 1944. In addition to being founding members of NATO, the United States and Iceland signed a bilateral defense agreement in 1951. Cooperation and mutual support are the foundation of the U.S.-Icelandic relationship. Visits such as Eagle’s allow opportunities to further effective partnerships, collaboration, and interoperability for various issues that can occur in the Arctic.
For more than a century, the U.S. Coast Guard has been the visible U.S. surface presence in the Arctic, ensuring adherence to the rules-based order. We work with High North nations to safeguard and enable the uninterrupted flow of maritime commerce throughout the entire Marine Transportation System, including the burgeoning Arctic and ensure responsible stewardship of its resources. Allies and partners like Iceland are integral to protecting the United States’ enduring interests, preserving our mutual interests, and upholding the rules-based international order supporting good maritime governance.

On approach to Iceland, Eagle’s crew conducted a wreath-laying in memory of the Treasury-class USCGC Hamilton (WPG 34), torpedoed by German submarine U-132 on January 30, 1942, patrolling the Icelandic coast near Reykjavík. Hamilton capsized and sank 28 miles (45 km) from the Icelandic coast on January 30, at the cost of 26 of the ship’s 221-person crew. In 2009, divers discovered the wreck in over 300 feet of water, and in 2013, a memorial plaque was placed in honor of those lost.

On approach to Iceland on June 6, 2021, the USCGC Eagle (WIX 3287) crew conducted a wreath-laying in memory of the Treasury-class USCGC Hamilton (WPG 34), torpedoed by German submarine U-132 in 1942 while patrolling the Icelandic coast near Reykjavík. Of the 221 person crew, 26 members were lost. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy Ensign Elena Calese)

Eagle is currently conducting summer U.S. Coast Guard Academy cadet training in at-sea leadership and professional development. Their first port call was Portugal in late May. Eagle has served as a classroom at sea to future Coast Guard officers since 1946, offering an at-sea leadership and professional development experience as part of the Coast Guard Academy curriculum.

Eagle is a three-masted barque with more than 6,797 square meters (22,300 square feet) of sail and 9.7 kilometers (6 miles) of rigging. At 90 meters (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.

New iron for the Eagle

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The nation’s tall ship, the Gorch Fock-class segelschulschiff training barque USCGC Eagle (WIX-327), America’s only active duty square rigger, recently just picked up only her third engine (aka the “iron topsail”) in her 82-year career. Her first, a 700hp diesel, was installed by the Germans. Her second, 1,000 horsepower Caterpillar D399, was recently installed 30+ years ago.

The ship’s new model, an MTU 8V4000, has 1,340bhp (1000kW) of power. The choice of the MTU over a Caterpillar is a good primer for officers headed to a fleet where the two most common small patrol types, the 154-foot Sentinel-class and the 87-foot Marine Protector-class, both use various MTU diesel. Formerly the USCG utilized twin Caterpillars in both the Point and Island-class patrol boats, but the first is long gone and the second are heading out rapidly.

According to the Coast Guard, “This eight-cylinder engine is half the size of the old Caterpillar and is environmentally friendly. It releases cleaner air than it takes in.”

Eagle has a busy schedule this year, taking two different OCS classes out as well as a number of phases of cadet recruit training on a six-week international cruise that includes port calls in Colombia, Curaçao, Honduras and the DR.

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