Eagle soars in on goodwill visit

A US Coast Guard sail training vessel this morning arrived in Bermuda with around 230 crew and cadets on board.

And The USCG Eagle – with a full crew of future US Coast Guard officers on board – will take part in community work with Keep Bermuda Beautiful and Habitat for Humanity while on a four day break from a training cruise.

Commanding Officer Captain Wes Pulver said: “They will help clean up the area around the stadium in preparation for the Island Games.”

Capt. Pulver, who visited the island himself as a cadet on the Eagle, said: “Bermuda is a wonderful port of call for us. The Consul General and his staff have rolled out the carpet for us, which is great.”

He added that the ship, which has been at sea for almost six weeks, gave “common ground” to all Coast Guard officers.

Capt. Pulver said: “They learn a lot about working as a team and respecting the weather.  We take them out, let them get wet, cold and tired and work under sail.

“Coming here and being able to participate in the community is a great opportunity for the cadets – they are also interested in the pink beaches as well, of course.”

First Class Cadet Lauren Young, 20, from Rochester, New York, sailed on the Eagle as a junior cadet two years ago.

She said: “My main job on the boat is to train the sophomores. This is my first time in Bermuda – it’s beautiful, though.”

Consul General Robert Settje said: “I’m very proud as the Consul General and as an American that the Eagle has come here to Bermuda.

“We’re very pleased to be able to assist them and we’re grateful to the Governor and the Government of Bermuda for all the courtesies they have provided along the way.”

The ship, a German-built barque once used to train navy recruits in Nazi Germany, was taken over by the US Coast Guard after World War II.

The ship has been used for training cadets at the US Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, ever since.

When it was being sailed to its new home in the US in 1946, the ship, which had been battered by a hurricane, stopped off in Bermuda before continuing to New York.

Among the ship’s crew are 150 USCG cadets, all aged between 19-23, as well as some on detachment from African and Sri Lankan coast guards or navies, and some US Navy personnel.

The ship will hold a reception tomorrow night, to be attended by Governor George Fergusson, Premier Craig Cannonier, Mr Settje and other invited guests.