The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle is scheduled to arrive in Rockland at 3 p.m. Friday and will be open for free tours during the Maine Lobster Festival this weekend.
The 295-foot-long tall ship will be open for free public tours on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The Eagle is the largest sailing vessel flying the American flag and the only active square-rigger in U.S. government service. Built in 1936 for the German Navy, the Eagle was taken by the United States as a war reparation following World War II.
The Eagle has served as a classroom at sea for future Coast Guard officers since 1946, and there are 135 cadets from the Coast Guard Academy on board this summer. The stop in Rockland is part of the 13-week training cruise.
The ship’s arrival will likely draw a crowd Friday afternoon. At 4 p.m. the ship’s cadets and instructors will be honored at a ceremony at the Rockland Lobster Festival main stage.
Friday is the third day of the 67th annual festival, which is expected to bring about 100,000 people to Rockland’s Harbor Park. Friday is also the day of the festival’s seafood cooking contest, which was to begin at 9 a.m.
Learn more about the Barque Eagle on Facebook.
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