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Docked Eagle
By adamg on Fri, 07/24/2015 - 9:12am
617 Images shows us the Eagle, the Coast Guard tall ship that is now docked at Pier 4 in Charlestown and open for tours today, 10-5 and Saturday and Sunday, 10-7.
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The endless debate
About "entitlements" (you know, getting back the money you loaned the government) lumbers on, with dimwits like Jeb Bush at the forefront of the issue. Surely there's government waste to be cut, politician's pay and benefits, for example, or another example would be a coast guard sail boat. What on earth do we need with a sail boat in this day and age? How much does it cost to maintain this thing? It's kind of like the Army having covered wagons, isn't it?
Oh, yeah!
Damn right: Why would Coast Guard cadets possibly need lessons in basic seamanship or teamwork that would come from manning a ship like this?
Who cares about the history behind ships like this and the Constitution?
This ship has a very interesting history actually....
Was part of the German Navy during WW2 and then the US basically won it in a lottery among victorious nations after the war was over. I was on this ship about 10 years ago and they use it for training mostly for cadets at the USCGA.
Everything has history behind
Everything has history behind it. Is it enough history to jusify it? I'm skeptical.
People are going to see it and take tours....
You can't put a $ value on everything anon.
Yeah, Man
I'd much rather the yearly cost of running the ship go to a single missile aimed at some hole in the Middle East. After all, 10 years of non-stop bombing has clearly brought peace to the Middle East.
The joke is that there are billions of dollars in spending that Pentagon *wants* cut but congress demands to be funded regardless if the projects have any need. Consider this a more tangible PR tool then a few recruitment ads shown during the Superbowl.
Everything has history behind it. Is it enough history to jusify
Everything has history behind it. Is it enough history to justify it?
Yes.
Next question?
Similar to the Sagres which was here a couple of weeks ago
The Eagle is from the same shipyard as the Portuguese ship Sagres which was just here. The Sagres was gorgeous and I can't wait to how this ship compares after sixty years.
They are priceless ships that serve a great purpose.
This is great!
I made it over to the Navy Yard for the Spanish ship and this will be a nice add.
I have a charming friend who lives in Alsace. She loves sailboat photos.
I didn't make it to the other two, crowd aversion. The Navy Yard is a more congenial location.
Sounds like...
You quickly thought up an excuse. Uh... Teamwork! That's the ticket!
Lessons in teamwork and seamanship just can't be accomplished without this particular boat? I'm skeptical.
Sounds like you're bitter and cranky
I was actually first exposed to the idea a couple decades ago on a trip to Annapolis - where one of the first things cadets there do is learn to sail on small sailboats.
Is this boat staffed by
Is this boat staffed by cadets? Or is it a anachronistic hole in the water that money is being dumped into?
You obviously know nothing of
You obviously know nothing of maritime service. Yes, teamwork is essential and I suppose cadets on this ship are going through a kind of boot camp.
I currently know two cadets with MA Maritime and being out to sea for months at a time is part of building that teamwork and knowledge. Just because today's warships are more like floating small cities, the basics of knowing how to handle a ship starts with ships like this. I imagine navigation, knot tying (yes, still important I assume), emergencies and how to handle a motorless ship are all still relevant today.
I'm all for cutting government waste, and there's plenty to cut, but inmho; this isn't one of them.
It's a beautiful ship.
And while we're at it
Why don't we sink the USS Constitution, and quarry out all the monuments in Washington. Imagine the savings!
Nitwit.
You convinced me.
Everything is the same. It's impossible to distinguish anything from anything else.
Well it certainly is
Well it certainly is impossible to distinguish you from any other nameless anon. If you want to know the reasons the Eagle is still a thing you could, you know, google the fucking thing. But you didn't, you just rattled off some garbage you know nothing about regarding hypothetical savings that may or may not exist.
Congratulations. You have a bad idea and you made it public.
http://tinyurl.com/onjw8z5
The Coast Guard rocks!
It is probably the only service branch that directly serves the public on a wide array of maritime issues from boat safety to smuggler busts to terrifying rescues on the high seas.
The vessel probably costs less than a single cruise missile or the avionic systems on an F 16.
The usefulness of a "sail boat"
I really couldn't tell you whether the comparison is a valid one in any degree, and certainly the usefulness of sail training is debated (btw, the Eagle is a ship, not a boat). What I can tell you is that the arguments against it don't have to do with money (I suspect the cost to maintain the Eagle is a tiny fraction of the cost of a modern military ship) but with time in cadets' training schedule, and whether it's worth it for them to spend time in sail training when they're going to be serving on modern ships. On the positive side, sail training tends to expose you to more hands-on challenges in seamanship, which, when you come right down to it, is a fundamental skill for ship-based military. The fact that you can treat a modern military ship like a floating barracks/exercise yard/gunnery platform most of the time, doesn't change the fact that It IS a ship.
Tiny fractions...
They add up to whole numbers.
The Barque Eagle is a cutter,
The Barque Eagle is a cutter, not a ship
Darn
I guess it doesn't get to be in the tall ships parade.
Not the same at all
1) One of the things the Coast Guard does is rescue people off of sail boats (and other marine vessels) where things have gone awry. I imagine familiarity with how sail boats work is useful in that endeavor.
2) On a smaller ship, even a tall one, you get a lot more exposure to different jobs, different skill sets, different problems to solve. You try things you would never get a chance to encounter on a huge ship where you spend your entire time doing one niche thing.
3) Cadets can be off training on a ship that is not needed for the main mission of the Coast Guard, therefore not tying up working assets.
4) This is a great PR tool giving people a chance to meet members of the Coast Guard and kids to imagine giving service this way.
5) Plus it's cool
Should the Army do away with its band? The horse units that are part of funeral processions? How about the Blue Angels? Plus all these things provide jobs for Americans who pay taxes and buy things.
Great response
Thanks
Coast Guard Should Know how to Sail
Isn't it as simple as this? The coast guard needs to be trained on how to operate a sailing ship.
The coast guard should have the expertise to help any type of nautical vessel in distress. Knowing how a sailing vessel operates would be helpful in an emergency situation where the coast guard needs to rescue or assist the crew. Is that too far fetched of a situation to warrant having one sailing ship in their fleet for training? While the coast guard operates modern non-sailing vessels, they aid vessels of all types.
Seems normal to me.
"with dimwits like Jeb Bush at the forefront of the issue."
There ya go. Summed it up nicely.
"It's kind of like the Army having covered wagons, isn't it?"
No, it's not. Stay anon. Probably better for you.
The entire USCG 2016 budget for "surface assets" is $534M
That's including the cost of six new Fast Response Cutters, among other things. The "In-Service Vessel Sustainment" category within that, which includes "funding for sustainment projects on 140-foot ice-breaking tugs, 225-foot Seagoing Buoy Tenders, the training Barque EAGLE, and initial sustainment activities for the 47-foot motor lifeboats" is only $68 million...most of which is probably not for Eagle.
How much of an F-35 does that buy? One landing gear?
man
That is pretty cool looking.
If you think that's cool...
You should see the bottle it goes into.
Does anyone know if you have
Does anyone know if you have to be a US citizen to take the tour? I can't find any info about it being open for tours on its website.
Tours are available, but it
Tours are available, but it says nothing to the point of citizenship. It does say open to the public, and I'd balk if they asked to see mein papers, so It's probably open to anyone.
https://www.facebook.com/CoastGuardCutterEagle
MattyC
Look at that link you sent and how the facebook page spells Charlestown Navy Yard. Kind of weird.
I noticed that too. I think
I noticed that too. I think they spend too much time in the intra-coastal and not enough time up here with us yankees.
I would be shocked
Public relations is one if its missions so I think all are welcome, even cranks who think it should be sold off. In ports outside the US there would be many non-US citizens's aboard.
Sounds to me like it's useful
Sounds to me like it's useful and everyone loves it. So I am glad to know my tax dollars help maintain it. What a beauty!
My blood is somewhere baked
My blood is somewhere baked into the deck from all the line handling I did onboard her. Maybe it's a good op to go look and not get the shakes from New London.
Really?
You mean that they didn't require some low-ranking grunt to scrub those decks blood-free?
I don't know about the rest
I don't know about the rest of the year, but at least the summers the eagle is crewed by uscg cadets. The blood of officers is all overt that boat I think.