The Past Whispers

Saturday, April 29, 2017

A To Z Challenge 2017–U is for Tall Ship USCGC Eagle

USCGC Eagle is the sixth U.S. Coast Guard cutter to bear the name in a proud line dating back to 1792. The ship was built in 1936 by the Blohm and Voss Shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, and commissioned as Horst Wessel. (Five identical sister ships were also built.)

Originally operated by Nazi Germany to train cadets for the German Navy, the ship was taken by the United States as a war prize after World War II. In 1946, a U.S. Coast Guard crew - aided by the German crew still on board - sailed the tall ship from Bremerhaven to its new homeport in New London, Connecticut. Eagle returned to Bremerhaven for the first time since World War II in the summer of 2005, to an enthusiastic welcome.

Built during the twilight era of sail, the design and construction of Eagle embody centuries of development in the shipbuilder's art. The hull is steel four-tenths of an inch thick. There are two full-length steel decks with a platform deck below. The raised forecastle and quarterdeck are made of three-inch thick teak over steel, as are the weather decks.

Eagle offers future officers the opportunity to put into practice the navigation, engineering, and other professional theory they have previously learned in the classroom. Upper class trainees exercise leadership and service duties normally handled by junior officers, while underclass trainees fill crew positions of a junior enlisted person, such as helm watches at the huge wooden wheels used to steer the vessel. Everyone who trains on Eagle experiences a character building experience.

On the decks and in the rigging of Eagle, young men and women get a taste of salt air and life at sea and they are tested and challenged, often to the limits of endurance. Working aloft, they meet fear and learn to overcome it. The experience builds character and helps future officers develop skills of leadership and teamwork that prove valuable assets throughout their careers.

Class: Military boat

Length: 89.70m

Rig: Barque 3

Year built: 1936

Home Port: New London, Connecticut (United States)

Friday, April 28, 2017

A To Z Challenge 2017–T is for Tall Ship TS Playfair

Toronto Brigantine Inc. operates two brigantines, the sail-training vessels Pathfinder and Playfair. They were both designed and built as sail training vessels for TBI by Francis A. McLachlan in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Playfair was built for Toronto Brigantine Inc. as a sail training vessel. She was commissioned by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1973, and remains the only Canadian ship to be commissioned by a reigning monarch.

Class: A
Nationality: Canada
Length: 18.23 m
Rig: Brigantine
Year built: 1973
Home port: Toronto

©2017 The Past Whispers
All Rights Reserved

Thursday, April 27, 2017

A to Z April Challenge 2017–S is for Tall Ship St. Lawrence II

“St. Lawrence II” was designed in 1952 by Francis MacLachlan and Mike Eames expressly for youth sail training. Gord Workman and Grant MacLachlan were also key figures in the development and initial fund raising of what is today the longest running youth sail training organization in the world.

The hull was built at Kingston Shipyards in 1953 and she was finished by local craftsmen, the Kingston Sea Cadets, and enthusiastic amateurs, many donating their time. Originally attached to the “Royal Canadian Sea Cadets Corps St. Lawrence”, her program was soon opened to other youth groups and now any teen, 13 to 18 years of age, can apply to join her crew for a summer training cruise.

In almost half a century afloat, the “St. Lawrence II” has shown her flag from Lake Huron to the north-east Atlantic seaboard, proudly representing Kingston and Canada in a number of exciting Tall Ship gatherings and special maritime events.

Brigantine Inc. is committed to developing character through the adventure af tall ship sailing, and nurturing a sense of responsibility in all youths who serve on the decks of the “St. Lawrence II”.

Class: A

Nationality: Canada

Length: 18.18 m

Height: 16.46 m

Rig: Brigantine

Year built: 1953

Home port: Kingston, Ontario

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

A To Z Challenge 2017–R is for Tall Ship Roter Sand

The Roter Sand is a sailing ship designed for teaching. Since the very beginning, it has been used to train sailors of all ages. Even its construction, from 1995 to 1999, was an opportunity for students specializing in carpentry, welding, engineering, architecture and mechanics to pool their talents, under the supervision of authorities at the Aucoop shipyard in Bremen-Vegesak, Germany. It was then used as a teaching and research vessel in the North Sea and the Wadden Sea, and later for leadership training on the Elbe.

A non-profit organization, EcoMaris, brought the Roter Sand to Québec on 6 July 2012, as the first environmentally-oriented training ship in Québec. The goal of the Roter Sand is to give Canadians renewed access to the St Lawrence, restore the bonds between individuals and the environment and help rebuild Québec’s maritime culture. Hundreds of budding sailors of all ages will explore the environment of the St Lawrence as they learn to navigate its challenging waters!

Class: B

Nationality: Canada

Length: 19.90 m

Rig: Gaff Ketch

Year built: 1999

Home port: Rimouski

Monday, April 24, 2017

A To A Challenge 2017 – Nautical Terms Beginning with Q

Queen's (King's) Regulations – The standing orders governing the Royal Navy of UK issued in the name of the current Monarch.

Quarterdeck – The aftermost deck of a warship. In the age of sail, the quarterdeck was the preserve of the ship's officers.

Quayside – Refers to the dock or platform used to fasten a vessel to.

Sunday, April 23, 2017

A To Z Challenge 2017–P is for Tall Ship Picton Castle

Picton Castle was one of five similar trawlers built by Cochrane’s in Selby, all named after British castles. (The actual Picton Castle in Wales is still standing). The other ‘castle’ ships have all been taken out of service.

Picton Castle went through World War II as a mine sweeper in the British Royal Navy. In 1955, she was sold to Norwegian owners and overhauled to be powered by a diesel engine and other auxiliary engines. Under the name Dolmar, she freighted up and down the Norwegian coast for years, going as far as Russia and Portugal. She was taken out of service in the late 1980’s when railroads made her uneconomical.

The captain, Dan Moreland, bought her in 1993 in Vedevegan, Norway, had her checked out, repainted and readied for the transatlantic trip and with a small crew, motored her across the Atlantic in April 1994. For two years she was docked at South Street Seaport in New York, as the Windward Isles Sailing Ship Company was formed and funds were invested to transform this ship into a beautiful square-rigger.

During 1996 to 1997, she was brought to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, home of the traditional fishing schooner fleet off the Grand Banks. There she was completely overhauled and refitted as a sailing vessel, and once again named Picton Castle. Her inaugural global voyage as a sailing vessel began on 25 November 1997 in Lunenburg and ended at the same port in June 1999. She carries 12 to 16 professional crew and 26 to 30 paying amateur crew.

Class: A

Nationality: Cook Islands

Length: 45.23 m

Height: 27.28 m

Rig: Barque 3

Year built: 1928

Home port: Lunenburg, Canada

Saturday, April 22, 2017

A To Z Challenge 2017 – O is for Tall Ship Oosterschelde

Oosterschelde was built in the Netherlands in 1918 at the order of the Rotterdam shipping company HAAS and is the last remaining representative of the large fleet of schooners that sailed under the Dutch flag at the beginning of the 20th century. Her name is derived from the eastern part of the Schelde river that flows from France through Belgium and the Netherlands to the sea and Oosterschelde is the largest restored Dutch sailing ship, which is a monument for Dutch shipbuilding and maritime navigation under sail.

As a freighter Oosterschelde carried some hundred tons of cargo including bricks, herring and bananas. In 1921, the ship was sold, changing hands three times and converted to a motor-sailer before being bought in 1988 and restored to her former glory.

The Rotterdam Sailing Ship Foundation was instituted to support restoration through fund raising and began work in 1990. The ship was officially launched in 1992 by Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet.