THIRD TIME IS THE CHARM FOR NOAA AND U.S. COAST GUARD's EAGLE

Nov. 12, 2004 — The third time proved to be the charm for NOAA and the U.S. Coast Guard as they successfully recovered the historic anchor to the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Barque Eagle in Jacksonville, Fla. The historic 3,800-pound anchor, which dates to 1936, broke free from its chain during a routine maneuver when leaving the docks in downtown Jacksonville during the "Sail Jacksonville" festival in June. (Click NOAA image for larger view of the anchor to the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Barque Eagle being hoisted onto the deck of the U.S. Coast Guard Buoy Tender Maria Bray on Nov. 8, 2004. Click here for high resolution version, which is a large file. Please credit “NOAA.”)

On October 18, the NOAA Navigational Response Team 2, part of the NOAA Ocean Service's Office of Coast Survey, discovered the anchor using underwater side scan sonar. Unable to successfully raise it at that point, they then assisted the Coast Guard and salvage divers by placing a buoy on the anchor.

However, when they returned October 27 to lift the anchor, they found that the marker buoy had been taken out by a tug and barge. Divers were unable to relocate the anchor at that time due to strong currents. Disappointment reined and the support crews departed empty handed.

Finally on November 8, the NOAA Navigational Response Team targeted the site with a buoy drop on the anchor and the salvage diver found it in about ten minutes, approximately eight feet from the target drop. By 10:45 a.m. EST, the anchor was raised off the St. Johns River floor and placed on the deck of the U.S. Coast Guard Buoy Tender Maria Bray. (Click NOAA image for larger view of the NOAA Navigational Response Team 2 looking on as the anchor to the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Barque Eagle is hoisted onto the deck of a U.S. Coast Guard vessel on Nov. 8, 2004. Click here for high resolution version, which is a large file. Please credit “NOAA.”)

"NOAA and the U.S. Coast Guard have been longtime partners, and the Office of Coast Survey is delighted to have been able to assist the Coast Guard in the recovery of this historic part of America's on-going maritime heritage," said Captain Roger L. Parsons, director of the NOAA Office of Coast Survey, the nation's oldest scientific office, established by President Thomas Jefferson in 1807.

"With the dogged determination of the Seventh Coast Guard District Aides to Navigation Branch, Coast Guard Group Mayport, NOAA and the crew of the cutter Maria Bray, a historical part of the ship will hopefully be returned to its proper place. I can't express my gratitude enough to be able to have it returned," said Capt. Eric Shaw, commanding officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Barque Eagle. (Click NOAA image for larger view of the NOAA Navigational Response Team 2 looking on as the anchor to the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Barque Eagle is hoisted onto the deck of a U.S. Coast Guard vessel on Nov. 8, 2004. Click here for high resolution version, which is a large file. Please credit “NOAA.”)

This wasn't the first time the Eagle had lost its anchor. The other original anchor was lost in the Chesapeake Bay in 1967 and still has not been recovered.

The Eagle serves as a seagoing classroom for future Coast Guard officers. A permanent crew of six officers and 48 enlisted men and women maintain the ship all year and provide expert knowledge and seamanship for the training of up to 150 cadets or officer candidates at a time.

The Eagle is an 1,800-ton steel hull, three-masted sailing ship with more than 21,000 square feet of sail and more than five miles of rigging. The 295-foot Eagle is the only active commissioned sailing vessel in U.S. military service and is homeported at the Coast Guard academy in New London. Conn. The Blohm & Voss Shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, built the Eagle, originally named Horst Wessel, in 1936 as a training vessel for German Naval cadets. (Click NOAA image for larger view of the anchor to the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Barque Eagle on the deck of a U.S. Coast Guard vessel following its discovery by a NOAA vessel. Click here for high resolution version, which is a large file. Please credit “NOAA.”)

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of the nation’s coastal and marine resources. NOAA is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA Ocean Service

NOAA Office of Coast Survey

Media Contact:
Ben Sherman, NOAA Ocean Service, (301) 713-3066 ext. 178