New London ― East Lyme native Alex Salerno remembers touring the United States Coast Guard barque Eagle as a kid with his grandfather. He never thought he’d be one of the cadets on it, though.

Wearing a formal dress uniform, the United States Coast Guard Academy Cadet Fourth Class Select gave tours to dignitaries who joined the ship for the last leg of its journey to its homeport here on Thursday.

Salerno said he first thought about joining the military a few years ago, and when he looked at all the options, choosing the Coast Guard Academy was an easy decision.

“The Coast Guard mission really spoke to me,” he said. “The Coast Guard is really serving others every single day.”

He was one of the fourth class select cadets who met with the boat a week ago. They took a bus up to Boston to meet the Eagle and had two days in port before setting sail for New London on Monday.

The cadets have participated in different watches and learned navigation techniques while on board the boat. They’ve helped steer the ship at the helm, gotten to climb the mast, and even saw some dolphins.

The Eagle has been underway for a total of 97 days said United States Coast Guard Lt. Victoria Sparacino. The permanent crew has been with the ship for the entire deployment, but other cadets and officers in training have come on and off the ship.

After leaving New London in the spring, the Eagle went as far south as Colombia before heading north and stopping in the Dominican Republic, Barbados and other ports before heading as far north as Halifax, Nova Scotia.The boat has been in the New England area for the last couple of weeks.

Sparacino, who is an instructor at the academy, said having cadets apply what they learn at the academy to their duties on Eagle is very important.

“You can learn these skills anywhere,” she said, “but these cadets get to learn it on a three-masted barque. Not only are they learning the fundamentals of the ship, they’re also learning to sail.”

For Salerno, however, the most important lesson of the past week was that “I’ve learned I love sea life.” He said he can’t wait for next year when he gets to spend more time on the Eagle.

The Eagle will be docked in the city through the end of September. It will participate in the 2024 Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival in New London on Sept. 7 and 8. At the end of the month the Eagle will travel to the U.S. Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore, Maryland for routine maintenance and work to overhaul its mainmast.