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COAST GUARD EAGLE
Coast
Guard Eagle is a 295-foot
ship used as a training cutter for future officers of
the United States Coast Guard. She is one of only two
active commissioned sailing vessels in the United States
military today.
Coast Guard Eagle was originally a German
vessel. Named after the man who wrote the Nazi
Party anthem, SS Horst Wessel was launched in 1936. The Nazis
made her the flagship of the training fleet of the Kriegsmarine. A
sailor named Tido
Holtkamp said in a BBC interview that Hitler's boots had
nails that scratched the beautiful deck. Hitler also
took a nap while on board.
The vessel was captured by the British in 1945. In 1946,
Allied commanders splitting up the captured spoils of
war reportedly pulled the names of captured ships from a
hat. A Russian commander pulled the Horst Wessel, but a
U.S. officer eager to bring home the tall ship convinced
him to trade it.
The ship was sailed across the Atlantic by a mixed crew
of Germans and Americans. Arrived the US, she
was rechristened the USCGC Eagle.
A few presidents have been
photographed on board the Eagle cutter. The first was President
Harry Truman, then president Kennedy...
Each summer, Coast Guard Eagle deploys
with cadets from the United States Coast Guard Academy
and candidates from the Officer Candidate School for
periods ranging from a week to two months. The ship also performs a public relations role for
the Coast Guard and the United States. Often, Eagle
makes calls at foreign ports as a goodwill ambassador.
In 2005, Queen Elizabeth II reviewed the
Eagle, as part of the Trafalgar 200 International Fleet
Review.
We accept commissions
to build the model of the Coast Guard Eagle at 1/100 scale (35.5" long.)
$3,700 Shipping
and insurance in the contiguous US included; other
places: $400 flat rate. We require only a small
commitment deposit to start the model
$500 
The remaining balance won't be due until the model
is completed, within six months.
Learn more about the USCG
Eagle here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USCGC_Eagle_(WIX-327)
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