The
USCG Training Barque "Eagle," escorted by a Coast
Guard Defender Class Response Boat, leads the Parade of Ships
under the Golden Gate Bridge during the 2008 San Francisco
Festival of Sail. The 295' Training Barque Eagle was originally
constructed in 1936 at the Blohm and Voss Shipyards in Germany
with the purpose of training U-Boat crews. The United States
took possession of the vessel in 1946 as part of Germany's
reparations for the war and it is currently used by the Coast
Gaurd for training of United States Coast Guard Academy Cadets.
The Eagle is the only active commissioned sailing vessel in
the United States' government service. Photographed 07/23/08