Data
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Dimensions:
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Rigging:
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Crew:
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American Training Ship (U.S. Coast Guard)
"Gorch Fock Class"
still active!
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Total Length: 62m
Beam Width: 13m
Mast Height: ~50m
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3 masted barque (5-5-0 yards)
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460 men
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Sister Ships of the Gorch Fock class
- SSS Gorch Fock (I), built 1933 - aka Tovarish
- SSS Horst Wessel, built 1936 - today the USCG Eagle
- SSS Albert Leo Schlageter, built 1938 - today the Portuguese Sagres III
- Mircea, built 1939 for Rumanian Navy
- SSS Gorch Fock II, built 1957
History
Germany 1936-1945: SSS Horst Wessel
1936 Segelschulschiff (Sailing Training Ship) SSS Horst Wessel built at Blohm and Voss
as an improvement of her sister ship SSS Gorch Fock of 1933.
In Nazi Germany, the name Horst Wessel was given in tribute to the Nazi party member.
1936-1939 Flagship of the German Kriegsmarine sail training fleet; home port: Kiel, North Germany.
Numerous training cruises in European waters and to the Caribbean. Decommissioned in 1939 as WW2 broke out.
1939-1945 Stationary ship, but equipped with antiaircraft guns (which were actually used successfully!).
United States 1946-today: USCG Eagle
1946 SSS Horst Wessel taken as a war reparation by the United States, and renamed
Coast Guard Cutter Eagle. Sailed to New York in June 1946
by a U.S. Coast Guard crew, assisted by the German captain and crew still aboard.
Her new home port was then New London, Connecticut.
1946-today yearly training voyages to ports and maritime festivals all over the world.
USCG Eagle is "America´s Tall Ship".
Books
| TITLE | AUTHOR | PUBLISHER | YEAR | PAGES |
The Rigging
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The USCG Eagle has a typical barque rigg of the Gorch Fock class
5 yards at fore and main mast
1 (upper and lower; single over a period) spanker and gaff topsail on the mizzen mast
4 staysails on the bow and 3 staysails between each mast
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The Standing Rigging
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Bowsprit - Fore Mast
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Fore Mast - Main Mast
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Main Mast - Mizzen Mast
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Mizzen Mast
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Topgallant Mast
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- flying jib stay
- 2 shrouds
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Topmast
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- fore staysail stay
- inner jib stay
- outer jib stay
- 4 shrouds
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Lower Mast
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- 1 dolphin striker
- 1 water stay
- 2 bowsprit shrouds
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NOTE: on fore and main masts, the lower mast and topmast are one piece (no mastcap).
The Running Rigging
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Bowsprit
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Fore Mast
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Main Mast
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Mizzen Mast
barque rigg, for-and-aft sails only
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Royal Sails
5th yard
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Fore Royal
- 1 Halyard
- 2 Topping Lifts, fixed
- 2 Sheets
- 2 Clewlines
- 1-2 Buntlines
- 2 Braces
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Main Royal
- 1 Halyard
- 2 Topping Lifts, fixed
- 2 Sheets
- 2 Clewlines
- 1-2 Buntlines
- 2 Braces
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Topgallant Sails
4th yard
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Fore Topgallant
- 1 Halyard
- 2 Topping Lifts, fixed
- 2 Sheets
- 2 Clewlines
- 1-2 Buntlines
- 2 Braces
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Main Topgallant
- 1 Halyard
- 2 Topping Lifts, fixed
- 2 Sheets
- 2 Clewlines
- 1-2 Buntlines
- 2 Braces
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Upper Top Sails
3rd yard
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Fore Upper Topsail
- 1 Halyard
- 2 Topping Lifts, fixed
- 2 Sheets (p.+s.)
- 2 Downhauls (p.+s.)
- 2 Leechlines (p.+s.)
- 4 Buntlines (p.+s.)
- 2 Braces (p.+s.)
- 2 Reef Tackles (p.+s.)
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Main Upper Topsail
- 1 Halyard
- 2 Topping Lifts, fixed
- 2 Sheets (p.+s.)
- 2 Downhauls (p.+s.)
- 2 Leechlines (p.+s.)
- 4 Buntlines (p.+s.)
- 2 Braces (p.+s.)
- 2 Reef Tackles (p.+s.)
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Lower Top Sails
2nd yard
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Fore Lower Topsail
- (fixed in a rack)
- 2 Sheets (p.+s.)
- 2 Clewlines (p.+s.)
- 2 Leechlines (p.+s.)
- 4 Buntlines (p.+s.)
- 2 Braces (p.+s.)
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Main Lower Topsail
- (fixed in a rack)
- 2 Sheets (p.+s.)
- 2 Clewlines (p.+s.)
- 2 Leechlines (p.+s.)
- 4 Buntlines (p.+s.)
- 2 Braces (p.+s.)
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Mizzen Topsail
- 1 Halyard
- 1 Sheet to gaff,
1 Tack
- 1 Downhaul
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Lower Sails / Courses
lower yard
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Fore Course
- (fixed in a rack)
- 2 Topping Lifts (p.+s.)
- 2 Sheets, 2 Tacks (p.+s.)
- 2 Clewlines (p.+s.)
- 2 Leechlines (p.+s.)
- 4 Buntlines (p.+s.)
- 2 Braces (p.+s.)
- 2 Reef Tackles (p.+s.)
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Main Course
- (fixed in a rack)
- 2 Topping Lifts (p.+s.)
- 2 Sheets, 2 Tacks (p.+s.)
- 2 Clewlines (p.+s.)
- 2 Leechlines (p.+s.)
- 4 Buntlines (p.+s.)
- 2 Braces (p.+s.)
- 2 Reef Tackles (p.+s.)
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Stay Sails
Fore and Aft Sails
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Fore Top Staysail
- 1 Halyard,
1 Downhaul
- 2 Sheets
Jib
- 1 Halyard,
1 Downhaul
- 2 Sheets
Outer Jib / Jib-o-Jib
- 1 Halyard,
1 Downhaul
- 2 Sheets
Flying Jib
- 1 Halyard,
1 Downhaul
- 2 Sheets
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Main Staysail
- 1 Halyard,
1 Downhaul
- 2 Sheets
Main Top Staysail
- 1 Halyard,
1 Downhaul
- 2 Sheets
Main Topgallant Staysail
- 1 Halyard,
1 Downhaul
- 2 Sheets
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Mizzen Staysail
- 1 Halyard,
1 Downhaul
- 2 Sheets
Mizzen Top Staysail
- 1 Halyard,
1 Downhaul
- 2 Sheets
Mizzen Topgallant Staysail
- 1 Halyard,
1 Downhaul
- 2 Sheets
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Spanker = Mizzen
- 1 Throat Halyard,
1 Peak Halyard
- 2 Gaff Vangs
- 1 Gaff Outhaul,
1 Gaff Inhaul
- 1 Boom Outhaul,
1 Boom Inhaul
- 2 Sheets
- 4-6 Brails
NOTE: in the 1980s, there was a period where USCG Eagle had a single spanker sail (due to the manual of 1979); the German original was
divided in two sails (upper and lower); the divided spanker had been refitted and can be seen today.
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These are the lines to be belayed ...
Belayings
The Revell model kit, Scale 1:200?
Revell still sells his old kit as "clones". The original molding forms from the 1950s were for the USCG Eagle.
Later in the 70s, re-using the same forms, a kit of the "Seeadler" came out. Today, the kit "Gorch Fock"
follows the same "business line" of cloning.
The Revell kit is good for kids, quite simplified
and easy to build - it was actually my first sailing ship I built back in 1978 - I still have it, although it needs repair ...
The Minicraft model kit(s), Scale 1:350
Minicraft also follows the "business of cloning". They offer all 4 sister ships Gorch Fock, Sagres, Mircea and USCG Eagle
by reusing most of the molding forms. Just in case of the hull, they indeed have 4 versions for the 4 ships, for they have different figure heads :)
The Minicraft kits are also good for kids, quite simplified, and if You make compromises, You can even forget about painting, as the sprues
are already colored. They can be built within 1-2 hours!
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