Viewfinder: The Eagle In Winter

From a distance, it’s hard to see any activity on board the U.S Coast Guard Barque Eagle in the winter months.  But Patch found that every day is a work day for the ship’s crew of  six officers and 56 enlisted personnel.

On recent visits we found the operations officer working on his nautical charts, preparing for the upcoming 75th anniversary voyage to Europe and Hamburg, Germany where it was built in 1936 as a training ship for the German navy.  Topside, we found academy cadets helping prepare the main sails that had been in storage since last fall.

Part of the Eagle's 75th anniversary celebration is a drive by the crew goal to find 7,500 Facebook friends who will receive dispatchs from the crew during the voyage. Here's the link:

http://www.facebook.com/CoastGuardCutterEagle

We also learned that visitors can tour the Eagle, no appointment necessary, seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Take a look at what we saw on board in this week’s Viewfinder.