Eagle leaving New London for summer training
After only staying in local waters last summer due the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Coast Guard barque Eagle is scheduled to depart New London on Saturday to begin training for more than 130 Coast Guard Academy cadets.
"We are extremely excited to be getting back underway for a full summer training season," Capt. Michael Turdo, the ship's commanding officer, said in a news release the Coast Guard put out last week. "The opportunity to sail abroad allows us to represent the Coast Guard and the United States to the public and international community."
The Coast Guard listed the port call dates for the summer: May 25 to 28 in Azores, Portugal; June 11 to 16 in Reykjavik, Iceland; July 7 to 10 in Hamilton, Bermuda; July 23 to 26 in New London; July 30 to Aug. 2 in Newport, R.I.; and Aug. 6 to 9 in Portland, Maine. The Eagle will return to New London on Aug. 13, with cadets disembarking the following day.
The ship, originally commissioned for the German Navy and acquired by the U.S. as war reparations after World War II, has trained future Coast Guard officers since 1946.
Its permanent crew includes nine officers and 49 enlisted personnel, who maintain the ship and guide cadets through training.
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