An anchor in American history to be raised

October 28, 2004

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Maria Bray will attempt to retrieve the original anchor of the Coast Guard Cutter Barque Eagle from the St. Johns River tomorrow morning.

The 3,800 pound anchor broke free from its chain during a routine maneuver when leaving the docks in downtown Jacksonville during the “Sail Jacksonville” festival in June.

What was believed be the anchor was found last week by National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with the use of underwater scanners and was then confirmed by divers, who marked the anchor with a buoy for retrieval.

The other original anchor was lost in the Chesapeake Bay in 1967 and still has not been recovered.

“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.

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 a 1800-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.

An anchor in American history to be raised

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Maria Bray will attempt to retrieve the original anchor of the Coast Guard Cutter Barque Eagle from the St. Johns River tomorrow morning.

The 3,800 pound anchor broke free from its chain during a routine maneuver when leaving the docks in downtown Jacksonville during the “Sail Jacksonville” festival in June.

The other original anchor was lost in the Chesapeake Bay in 1967 and still has not been recovered.

The Blohm & Voss Shipyard in Hamburg, Germany built the Eagle, originally named Horst Wessel, in 1936 as a training vessel for German Naval cadets.

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