The Eagle is a three-masted sailing Barque with 21,350 square feet of sail. It is homeported at the CG Academy, New London, Connecticut. It is the only active commissioned sailing vessel in the U.S. maritime services. (One of five such Training Barques in world. Sister ships include: MIRCEA of Romania, SAGRES II of Portugal, GORCH FOCK of Germany, and TOVARICH of Russia.)

The Eagle bears a name that goes back to the early history of the United States’ oldest continuous seagoing service. The first Eagle was commissioned in 1792, just two years after the formation of the Revenue Marine, the forerunner of today’s Coast Guard.

The pirate ship was a place to eat, sleep, fight, and attack other ships, enabling the inhabitants to become rich from stolen goods. Once loot or booty, as it is often called, was secured the ship provided a storage place and a method of escape. No ship was originally built for the exclusive use of pirates, so they were often altered to carry more weapons or in some way make pirating easier. Ships were acquired by pirates through force or by mutiny…