USCG Barque Eagle Crewmember

[TheCrustyBosun]

Bongo Bucks-

 

When Eagle is in port, she usually opens to the public for main deck tours. For years, we’ve given out these aluminum coins with the ship on them as well as a handout with a photo of the ship on one side and some info on the other. 
 

In 1988, Eagle made one of her most impressive trips. She attended the Australian Bicentennial. Eagle’s range is normally around two weeks at sea. Fuel isn’t such a big deal as with other cutters, but provisions definitely is. This particular trip required something she was never meant for.....UNREP. I think it’s the only time in her history that she’s had to conduct UNREP. 
 

I wasn’t around for that trip, but here’s one of those coins and a few flyers. Note: the info on the flyer has changed a bit since this printing. 

[huntssurplus]

Loving the thread so far, one of my favorite on this forum for sure. Keep on posting! 
 

[TheCrustyBosun]

Watch on deck, a rogue wave, flank speed, drinking on a Sunday, and “peeler joints”-

 

The first transit leg of the 2005 deployment was from New London, CT to Saint John’s, Newfoundland. Eagle’s deck watch includes the following positions: 

OOD

QMOW

BMOW

Helmsman

Lookout

Watch on Deck

The Boatswains Mate of the Watch aboard Eagle is a unique position in the Coast Guard, as are many aspects of Eagle. An Eagle BMOW is tasked with the same duties as a BMOW on any other Coast Guard cutter. He or she is responsible for ensuring that the crew on watch are properly equipped and fit for duty. The BMOW is responsible for making rounds of the ship excluding engineering spaces while checking for the three F’s- fire, flooding, and jokingly, fornication. The BMOW answers the ship’s fire alarm system, must be aware of the status of all closures according to the DC log and must read, understand, and sign the night orders. He or she is also responsible for rousting the personnel for the next watch. On Eagle, the BMOW is the acting sailing master when the ship’s Bos’n, a chief warrant officer and ship’s 1st lieutenant, is not on deck. So, the BMOW is responsible for the ship’s rigging and sails and therefore responsible for sailing the ship. The OOD and QMOW are responsible for getting the ship from point A to point B, but the BMOW is the final answer when it comes to sailing. If there’s an issue, he or she must wake the Bos’n. Not an enjoyable experience. I had to do it once. The Watch on Deck is a group of eight personnel, usually cadets, who serve as the workforce used for trimming and light handling of sails and rigging as needed to keep Eagle sailing efficiently and on course. Any major sail handling would warrant a call to “Sail Stations” in which ALL hands off duty must turn topside and go to work. This includes snipes, yeomen, storekeepers, cooks, and cadets. 
 

Eagle was sailing at night on a port tack with light rain and steady six foot rollers that we were taking by the head. It wasn’t at all uncomfortable. As a matter of fact, I got some of the best sleep in my life in those conditions. The watch on deck was located on the waist (middle) of the ship huddled in their fowl weather gear with their hoods up. They were standing on the windward (high) side of the deck with their backs to the sea  when a rogue wave crashed over the port side gunwhale. The wave came 90 degrees from the swells we had been experiencing. At night, you have no warning. There was no moon. The cadets were knocked off their feet and washed across the deck into the opposite gunwhale. In the process, all eight were injured, several with broken arms, legs, collarbones and others with neck and back injuries. The alarm was sounded and all hands turned out of their racks to man their general emergency stations. All deck and mast floodlights were illuminated and the call went out for the corpsmen and stretcher bearers. Eagle’s sickbay is very small and the ward only held two beds. So, the wardroom was used as the ward and the eight victims lay in stretchers on the deck. Once things were brought under control, we doused (took in) the sails, set a direct course for Saint John’s, and brought our 1,000 horsepower CAT diesel “Iron Wind” online. The Captain is the only person with authority to order flank speed and he did. Eagle’s flank (top) speed under power is about 10-12 knots. The engine is used for coming in and out of port and as a source of auxiliary propulsion. Under sail, she can make about 19 knots.  The wind direction was such that we would have wasted valuable time maneuvering, hence the decision to proceed under power. We arrived in Saint John’s about twelve hours later with several ambulances waiting on the pier. All of the victims recovered in hospital, but none returned for the remainder of the ship’s deployment. 
 

The next morning was Sunday and the crew was granted liberty. Three of us headed off to and found ourselves on George Street. George Street is lined with pubs and is apparently famous. Nothing was open at 10:30 am on a Sunday. We came upon a fellow washing out a bucket in the street in front of O’Reilly’s Irish Pub. He asked if we were off the ship. It’s a small town. Word travels fast. We answered, “yes”. He said they were closed but asked if we were thirsty. OF COURSE WE’RE THIRSTY! We were invited in and bellied up to the bar. A pint of Guinness please! The three of us sat at that bar until 11:30 PM kept in beer and food as necessary. A funny thing about being on Eagle is that everyone heads separate ways when liberty is granted, but somehow, must be nature, we’d all end up in the same pub that evening. We’d been drinking with a local that had taken a liking to us. He asked, “You boys wanna go to a peeler joint?” A what? “You know, a place wear the girls peel their clothes off and dance for ya!”  OH! Sure!  
 

The only things I took away from Saint John’s aside from a hangover and some photos of Cabot Tower on Signal Hill, are shown below. 

[TheCrustyBosun]

On 10/11/2020 at 5:44 PM, FriarChuck said:

I’m absolutely loving this post. The sea stories are great. However you are making me regret that I never applied to the Coast Guard Academy. Wanted to go Navy, got into West Pointe and Air Force. Ultimately went Air Force. I love being a pilot but ships were and always will be my first love. Seeing this post makes me wish i’d known more about the CGA back then. Thank you for your service and for sharing!

 

Friar

Friar,

  Here’s myself as a young, dumb, and absolutely duped Army DEP E-1 that I spoke of before my dreams of military aviation were whisked away. 

[TheCrustyBosun]

Cold weather gear- 

 

Most of Eagle’s deployments take place in the summer, which allows the crew to dress down to t-shirts and ODU trousers. They allowed us to un-blouse our pant legs and even wear boat/deck shoes. I did not like the “yachtie” look and never wore the deck shoes. I do remember at one time earlier in my career, having to wear undress blues while standing bridge watches. They were better looking than wearing working blues, I suppose. 
 

As for the rest of the year, it’s cold. Eagle is home ported in Connecticut and if she doesn’t winter there, it’s the Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, Maryland. It’s not much warmer there. Deck department spends a lot of time wearing multiple layers of clothing as a majority of our work is obviously outside. It was not uncommon to be working in the rigging over 100 feet above the deck in temperatures as low as 15 degrees Fahrenheit with steady 10 knot winds. Watch caps, balaclavas, polypropylene thermals, sweatshirts, and insulated coveralls were all commonly worn at the same time in those conditions. Gloves, however, were not permitted when climbing. 
 

Here are a few cold weather items I used aboard Eagle. 

[Allan H.]

Randy,

 

I have truly enjoyed this post. As the others have said it is a great read and is sprinkled with all sorts of interesting photos of artifacts etc. My favorite part of the thread are the Sea Stories. Keep them coming!

 

Allan

[TheCrustyBosun]

On 10/15/2020 at 9:17 AM, Allan H. said:

Randy,

 

I have truly enjoyed this post. As the others have said it is a great read and is sprinkled with all sorts of interesting photos of artifacts etc. My favorite part of the thread are the Sea Stories. Keep them coming!

 

Allan

Thanks, Allan!

[TheCrustyBosun]

DC closures, flooding in the crew’s lounge, and the guide. 

 

DC stands for damage control. That’s  how you deal with shipboard emergencies like fire, flooding, etc....  Like any other ship, Eagle is divided into watertight compartments.  While underway, certain fittings like watertight doors, hatches, scuttles, and portholes are to remain closed. There are exceptions. The configurations of these fittings is called a material condition or just “condition”.  This is determined by circumstances like weather conditions, conducting certain types of operations, and combat, ie. battle stations. Ever heard of “batten down the hatches”?  Same kind of thing. Each fitting is labeled with a placard that identifies under which material condition that it must be closed. 

 

There are three material conditions, X-ray, Yoke, and Zebra. 

 

X-ray is the most relaxed condition usually set at anchor or tied up at a “safe/secure” pier. X-ray fittings are marked with an “X” and must be secured during conditions X-ray, Yoke, and Zebra. 

 

Yoke is set in port and at sea under wartime conditions and at times other than ship’s working hours. Ship’s work includes daily maintenance and duties aside from watches. Work begins underway at 0800 at the conclusion of muster. That’s when your chief or first class gives the day’s tasks and says, “Turn to.” which means get to work. Ship’s work continues to 1545 when you knock off ship’s work and hear, “Sweepers, sweepers, man your brooms, give her a clean sweep down fore and aft, port and starboard. Now, sweepers.”  Everyone looks forward to sweepers because it’s 15 minutes to quitting time, but you had better be actively cleaning up, not hiding or otherwise idling. At 1800, designated personnel (DCPO’s) responsible for certain areas of the ship check to ensure material condition Yoke is set. At 1815, the call goes out, “Now, lay before the mast all evening reports. Set material condition Yoke throughout the ship. DCPO’s make reports to the bridge.” Yoke fittings are labeled with a “Y” and are secured during conditions Yoke and Zebra. 

 

Zebra is set when getting underway or entering port during wartime, under general quarters, or general emergency stations. Zebra is also set when damage control operations are actively underway due to fire, flooding, etc. Everything is buttoned up during condition Zebra. Zebra fittings are marked with a “Z”. 

 

As with many things in the military, there are exceptions. The bridge watch maintains a log that details what fittings, such as portholes, are open after Yoke is set, verified, and reported. These fittings are left open by request of personnel occupying the space. The “DC closure log” documents the fitting number, location, it’s open status, the time it will be secured, and the person in charge of its status (usually the person requesting it be left open). 

 

The rest of the story will now make sense, I hope. 

 

It’s time to relieve the 2000-Midnight watch. I’m the oncoming boatswains mate of the watch (BMOW).  Eagle is sailing on a starboard tack, which means the wind is coming from starboard side (windward) and the ship is leaning (listing) to port (leeward). The night orders from the Captain tell us to wear ship, a sailing maneuver used when sailing upwind that puts the wind on the opposite side requiring the ship to turn. This takes about two hours to perform at night with just 18 people. The task is split between the off-going and on-coming watch sections. The first watch makes the preparations for the maneuver. The oncoming section reports for watch and helps the other section perform the maneuver. Then, the off-going section lays below for the night and the on-coming section begins resetting and trimming sails to run on the new tack. Once my eight man watch on deck crew and I are finished, lines made up, deck cleared, and I’m happy with how she’s sailing, I proceed to make my rounds of the ship.  Everything was fine until I walked into the crew’s lounge.  The crew lounge is located on the starboard side which was previously the windward side, thus the high side.  We were now sailing on a port tack and the starboard is now the leeward or low side of the ship. I find a foot and a half of water sloshing around in the compartment. Oh boy. A porthole had been opened at some point for ventilation and had not been reported. It would be easy to overlook as we hung old signal flags in front of the portholes for curtains. The water is now blasting through the open porthole every time we take a swell and it goes below the surface. I fought to secure it, but it was too difficult by myself. I picked up the phone and called the bridge and said, “Steer her a few points off the wind and even up her keel a bit. I’m fighting an open porthole down here and I’ve got 18 inches of water and rising.”  So, they turned the ship away from the wind a enough to bring her back upright and also bringing the porthole higher above the surface. I secured the porthole and called the bridge back. “I’ve secured the porthole and now I’m gonna start trying to figure out why I’ve still got standing water.”, I said. The OOD asks, “Do you need assistance?”  I replied, “No Sir. Flooding is under control. I think the compartment deck drains are either clogged or closed. I’ll get back to you.”  I checked the drains and found them all closed. They’re supposed to be open so the water goes to the bilge and the pumps can pump it out. Whoever the DCPO was for that space hadn’t done their job. Simple fix though, grab the small t-handle on the bulkhead, reach down, and screw open the drain valves. Out goes the water. I called the engineer of the watch (EOW) and let him know that there was going to be a few hundred gallons of water heading down his way and the pumps might be doing more work than usual for a while. No worries. Then, I went up to the bridge, soaked head to toe, and made my report to the OOD face to face. That was enough excitement for one watch. 

 

The following photos are of Eagle’s Damage Control and Orientation manual. This manual gives information specific to Eagle that is vital to handling ship board emergencies and damage control as well as information that is standard among the fleet. Every crewmember was issued one of these and it was required knowledge to complete qualifications as a watch stander and to achieve your Cutterman qualification and device. One photo is an example of my hand-written notes of such vital info. It details the location of remote fuel shut-offs and kill switches for machinery like, the ship’s boilers, main Diesel engine, and her generators. This info is vital in case of a fire in the spaces that this machinery is located. Otherwise  known as a “main space fire”, these emergencies are amongst any crew’s worst nightmares. The notes also show the location of the outlets to plug in electric submersible pumps. These pumps worked off of 440 volts AC. An Electricians Mate (EM) had to operate it while wearing thick rubber gloves and standing on a thick rubber mat. You can have it, “Sparks”!! 

[TheCrustyBosun]

Eagle Super Fans, A Perfect Lady, and some vintage photos-
 

I consider myself a huge fan of Eagle, but there are certainly others. If there was ever an Eagle version of SNL’s Super Fans of Ditka and Da Bears, it’s Mr. Tido Holtkamp.  Mr Holtkamp is an idol of mine and I know of no greater supporter of and expert on Eagle. 

 

Tido was drafted by the German Navy in 1943. He spent six months on Eagle, then Horst Wessel, as a cadet. After WWII, he immigrated to America and became a citizen. He was later drafted into the US Army where he served honorably. He settled in Connecticut and reconnected with his old ship there. Since then, he as maintained a strong connection with the US Coast Guard, Eagle, and those considered part of Eagle’s family. I am proud to be one of Mr. Holtkamp’s “alte kameraden”, old comrades. 

 

In 2008, Mr. Holtkamp authored a pictorial history of Eagle. It’s much more than that in my opinion. It is one of the most complete published ship’s histories available. The book is titled “A Perfect Lady”, which is a nod to the book “The Skipper and the Eagle”, written by Eagle’s first American commanding officer, Captain Gordon McGowan. I place these two books in priority for those interested in learning more about Eagle. There are other great books out there as well on the subject and I say, “Buy’em all.”

 

The following photos are of my autographed copy of A Perfect Lady. I brought it with me to Eagle’s crew reunion in 2011. It was also the celebration of Eagle’s 75th birthday. I also gathered autographs of an additional few of my “Eagle Idols”. They include Ivan Luke, the 23rd Commanding Officer of Eagle and the first CO I served under aboard, BMC Karl Dillman, the first supervisor and mast captain I served with aboard, the legendary Eagle Bos’n and tallship captain, “Red” Shannon, and finally, Ernst Cummings, 18th Commanding Officer of Eagle and author of the book’s foreword. 

 

Also of interest, are four vintage photographs that I acquired and also brought with me to the reunion for Mr. Holtkamp’s verification. These photos were taken aboard the ship in 1945, when she was tasked with evacuating refugees and German army personnel off the island of Rugen. They show SS officers and soldiers and a couple of ship’s crewmen aboard the ship while at anchor prior to departure. Mr. Holtkamp’s book speaks of this. 

[TheCrustyBosun]

A bent yard, HMY Britannia, and my love of hats- 

 

Edinburgh 2005- We actually put into port in Edinburgh twice in that deployment. On the crossing from Newfoundland to Scotland, we bent a yard. On a square rigger, a yard is a horizontal spar that the large “square” sails are bent (attached) to. Yards are commonly and incorrectly referred to as “yardarms”. The yardarm is actually the outermost couple of feet of a yard or is otherwise found on a flagpole at a yacht club. Eagle’s yards are made of steel and we bent one. This is the result of the following contributing factors. I can’t say which played a more significant role than the others.......

#1.- At least 10 people hauling on its brace (one of two lines that controls its position) while singing out, “Heave! Ho! Heave Ho!” with all of their might. 

#2.- ONE person with the line around a big brass belaying pin who is responsible for easing (letting slack out) of the opposite brace (the other line controlling the yard’s position), but apparently not performing his or her duty adequately. 

#3.- The mast captain seeing what is happening and screaming, “AVAST!!!!”, which is the universal tallship command for, “Stop! You’re about to or have hurt someone, killed someone, or broken something.” unfortunately not loud enough to be heard over factor number one. 

#4.-The steel reinforcement patch around the same area on the yard where it had bent some thirty or forty years before. 

#5.- The most traditional contributing factor listed on any USCG (or any military branch for that matter) mishap report since at least, the introduction of the black Skillcraft ballpoint stock system issued pen.......... TEMPORARY LOSS OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. 

 

So, we bent the damned yard and it needed to be repaired. We contacted Blohm and Voss of Hamburg, Germany. They built the ship in 1936 and wanted desperately to repair the yard. Alas, they were not able to source the steel within an acceptable window to complete the repair and accommodate our schedule. We did however find a source of steel suitable for the job and a skilled contractor capable of the work in Scotland. A crane showed up in short order after we tied up in Edinburgh and we sent down the yard to the pier where it was repaired in place while we returned to sea to continue training. Upon completion, we returned to Edinburgh and swayed (reinstalled) the repaired yard. Spit-spot. 

 

I had mentioned before that I toured the Royal Yacht Britannia while we were there. I highly recommend a visit if you find yourself in Edinburgh. She’s a fascinating  old dinghy!  I purchased a souvenir which I will show below. This trip also sparked my interest in the Britain’s military and desire to collect a few items. 

 

I’ve always had an addiction to hats. I can’t have enough. My first acquisition of militaria was a US Navy flat/Donald Duck/blue service cap. The following photos are but a small example of this while remaining relevant to the theme of this thread. 

 

After visiting HMY Britannia, I had to have a “Yachtie” hat. I also determined that I needed the RN equivalent to my own dress uniform combination cover. Finally, I needed a WWII era German Navy hat to display my tally from Eagle’s sister ship, Sagres II, formerly Albert Leo Schlageter. My Horst Wessel tally had already been destined for another display. 

 

Yes, the Royal Yacht tally and hat are not originals. The German Navy is a reproduction from Hessen and I’m ok with that too. 
 

Also take notice of my hat size. I got a small noggin. I am easily enticed by those wee hats.  

 

Enjoy. 

[Josh B.]

Great writeup!  I grew up near New London and visiting the Eagle was a big to-do for the elementary school kids and NL Sailfest each summer.  Very fond memories.  From that time I also developed an interest in the history of the Eagle and her sister ships.  I have original German pre-WWII picture postcards and cap tallies from the Horst Wessel and the rest of the sisters stashed away somewhere (going off memory, I haven't looked at them in quite awhile).

[TheCrustyBosun]

6 hours ago, Josh B. said:

Great writeup!  I grew up near New London and visiting the Eagle was a big to-do for the elementary school kids and NL Sailfest each summer.  Very fond memories.  From that time I also developed an interest in the history of the Eagle and her sister ships.  I have original German pre-WWII picture postcards and cap tallies from the Horst Wessel and the rest of the sisters stashed away somewhere (going off memory, I haven't looked at them in quite awhile).

Josh, 

Thank you for your comments. If you find those postcards, PM me and share, please. Thanks. 

[Josh B.]

1 hour ago, TheCrustyBosun said:

Josh, 

Thank you for your comments. If you find those postcards, PM me and share, please. Thanks. 

Will do!

[TheCrustyBosun]

Eagle’s deck department “owns” five compartments/spaces that comprise their workspace within the ship’s interior. Those spaces are the paint locker, the sail locker,  the lazarette, forward issue, and the bosun hole. 

 

The paint locker is where the deck department stores all of its “hazardous materials” such as primer, paint, solvents, varnish, etc. 

 

The lazarette is a storage space in which the ship’s fenders, mooring lines, jacob’s ladders, etc are kept when not in use. 

 

Forward issue is a storage space for rigging work harnesses, PFD’s (life vests), hardhats, heaving lines, and boat crew equipment. It also serves as the dressing and preparation area for the small boat crews. 

 

The sail locker serves as both a storage area and a work space. It is one of the few spaces that has not changed through the ship’s many refits. Eagle carries one spare for each type found in her suit. The spares are kept here along with sewing machines for large repairs. Roping and small canvas repairs are made by hand with sailmaker’s palm, needle, and sail twine the old fashioned way. Lockers containing spare rigging components such as shackles, swivels, belaying pins, blocks, etc. are also located here along with spools of rope. A quick note on rope- rope is found on a spool. Once it is cut from the spool, it becomes a line and is referred as such from then on. Rope is otherwise a term for wire rope. There are a few exceptions such as monkey/man ropes for the boat davits, the bell rope, foot ropes aloft in the rigging, and bolt ropes found along the edge of a sail. 

 

The Bosun hole or hold contains the deck department’s tools and workbenches. It serves as a workshop when the weather drives us below. Most of our work is done topside. 

 

When the USCG merged the ratings Boatswains Mate and Quartermaster, the deck and navigation departments also merged becoming the “operations department”. Additional spaces were added to our responsibility. Those spaces include the pilothouse, CIC, and navigation stores which is where the ship’s flags and charts are stored. 

 

I acquired an address plate that hung above the door to Eagle’s Bosun hole during a yard period and have it above the door to one of the rooms in my home. I sometimes forget it’s there. 
 

Here’s the address plate and the location of the sail locker and Bosun hole from the ship’s plates. 

[TheCrustyBosun]

I spoke of sail repair in my previous post. Here are a few items of mine that I used while aboard Eagle and other tallships I’ve crewed. 
 

There are examples of waxed sail twine, sail needles, a roping needle, and two types of sailmaker’s palms. Think of a sailmakers palm like a thimble on steroids. The largest of the needles and the palm with the most reinforcement is for heavy duty stitching like attaching hardware and the bolt rope to a sail. The smaller needles and other palm are generally for patching, seams, and other “smaller” work. 

 

You’ll also find a couple of photos of the inside of my cap brim. I had mentioned keeping a couple of sail needles in the brim of my cap. These were commonly used for minor sail repairs on deck or in the rigging as well as repairing deck covers and awnings. 

 

 

[TheCrustyBosun]

England, Italy, and Filling the wrong tank- 

 

Portsmouth, England 2005- 

 

Standing quarterdeck watch on the mid watch (midnight to 0400) in port could be very entertaining at times. The entertainment usually came from watching those on liberty returning to the ship in various “conditions of readiness”.  The last four steps down from the gunwhale served as a great obstacle to many. 

 

Portsmouth had played a great host to the international fleet review and all its participants. The hospitality flowed freely. Some remember, some don’t. We (Eagle) rafted up to (double parked) the Italian Navy’s training ship Amerigo Vespucci and had to cross her deck to get to home to the ole “mother bird”.  I’m sure the Italians were entertained as well. 

 

I drew the mid watch and had the quarterdeck. The podium, crew status board, and 1MC box was set up on the waist of the ship just forward of the mainmast under an awning. I was enjoying the show. One of the highlights was seeing two boatswains mates carrying a lieutenant back aboard. I will elaborate no further. 

 

The engineers were taking fresh water from the pier across Amerigo Vespucci’s deck to fill our tanks. All of a sudden, a literal shower of sewage comes raining down out of a goose-necked vent pipe that runs ten feet up the back of the mainmast. THANK GOD I was under an awning!!!!  I grabbed the phone and called the EOW. “Stop pumping!  There’s sewage flowing up on the main deck!”  They closed the valves and began to assess the situation. It was determined that they lined the valves up to flow into a sewage holding tank rather than the fresh water tanks. The incoming fresh water pushed the sewage up the vent pipe and produced the shower on deck. That incident inspired one of my more memorable quarterdeck watch log entries. 

 

I could not pass up a reminder of the occasion when the following item came up in the ship’s morale fund auction a year later. A plaque from the Amerigo Vespucci-

 

[TheCrustyBosun]

A real Boatswain’s Mate-

 

When I enlisted in the Coast Guard, there was no BM A-school available to active duty personnel. We were told it was only available to reservists at the time and the only way to make BM was to strike it. So, I struck BM with the help of Station Port Aransas, Texas, USCGC Key Biscayne, USCGC Mallet, ANT Corpus Christi, and USCG Barque Eagle. It was a well-rounded education. 

 

There are two Chief Boatswain’s Mates that I owe a lot of my education to. Without them, I would not have become the BM I was/am. I did not always get along with either of them and I learned my share of lessons the hard way with them, but in retrospect, I appreciate the efforts they put into me. 

 

BMC Rodney Randall made me a hell of a boat driver. He started me like he did, with single screw boats. If you can master those, you can run just about anything. He pushed me pretty hard and I pushed back at times. His hardest push came when he “volunteered” me for overseas duty. I didn’t figure it out until being deployed for eight months and by the time I got back, he’d retired. That crotchety old bastard. Yet, I came out of it better than I went in. I got coxswain qualified in a combat zone and walked away with a Commandant’s Letter of Commendation and the ability to go anywhere I wanted in the Coast Guard. I didn’t see him for about six years. I was a reservist at the time and about to finish my last enlistment. We were at a bar celebrating the retirement of a fellow Coastie who had apparently crewed Noah’s Ark when in walks Chief Randall. I had thought about what I’d say to him if I ever saw him again and I just couldn’t come up with anything. The other guys knew about what he had done and one of them offered to tell him off. I told him not to. We nodded to each other as he passed the bar and I thought that was gonna be it. Toward the end of the party, a group of us are on the deck and he sits down at the table. Oh boy. He starts asking the younger guys questions and I hear him ask a particular question whose answer I’m strangely familiar with. I looked over at him and he looked back and smiled. The question was, “What’s the clearest and fastest course from New London Ledge out to Watch Hill?”  He waits for a few seconds and says, “If you don’t know, he does.” and motions over to me. Everyone turns to me and I answered, “The 18 line. You can ride it straight out with only one obstacle, Intrepid Rock.”  The Chief then asks, “Who taught you that?”  “You did, Chief.”, was my response along with a smile back at him. I guess we said enough. Thanks, Chief. 

 

Before him was BMC Antonio Garanzuay at ATON Depot Corpus Christi.  Under his tutelage, I made E-3 and he recommended me for advancement to E-4, Boatswain’s Mate Third Class. He made me work for it too. He gave me my first rigger knife, a classic Camillus folder with a marlinspike, and told me to make my own sheath. He also gave me my first boatswain pipe. That man put a lot of effort into me and I hated him for it at times. I learned a lot of lessons from him and some of those skills made me look like a real pro. I never got to say thank you to him. 

 

I learned a few things about being a “real” boatswains mate. 

You’re not a real BM until you’ve been busted at least once. 

Always carry tools with you especially when you’re goofing off.

Make sure those tools are the following- Screw driver, hammer, crescent wrench, and vise grips. Any other tools will raise curiosity and ultimately get you in trouble. 

You’re not a real BM unless you cuss, drink coffee, smoke, or read a newspaper. 

You’re not a real BM unless you’ve been coxswain qualified, cutterman qualified, or both. If you are a BM without either of those qualifications, people would ask you, “What exactly did you do in the Coast Guard?”

 

Chief Garanzuay routinely walked around the station with a cigarette in his mouth, a cup of coffee in his hand, and a newspaper tucked under his arm while cussing about what he observed. Chief Randall also carried a coffee cup, but the true contents of it were often subject to speculation. 

 

I was a striker boatswain mate. I have been busted down once. I cuss and read a newspaper, but I never picked up a cigarette or drank coffee. I used to chew Red Man though. I was also a boatswains mate prior to the rate merger with quartermaster. 

 

The following items are a nod to Chiefs Garanzuay and Randall. Both items are required equipment for boatswains mates in the Coast Guard. I carried the knife throughout my career and aboard Eagle until I was issued a new rigging knife there. I used the mug for tea especially in the winter months in New London. We’d come down from the rigging at around 1000 every day to thaw out and have some hot chowder or soup, coffee, or tea.  Your hands would be on fire as you walked in from outside. My hands are still cold!

 

 

 

[TheCrustyBosun]

I located a couple more of my deployment t-shirts. The back of the 2006 t-shirt is a copy of the artwork that our supply officer painted on the sea wall in Funchal, Madeira in 2005. The tag was about 12x8 feet. 

[TheCrustyBosun]

The American Practical Navigator, Bowditch-

 

Every QM (quartermaster) in the USCG and USN knows this book along with most officers who have been qualified as underway OOD’s/DWO’s (Officer of the deck/ deck watch Officer). It is considered the Bible of navigation and is a standard publication found on every cutter and ship in government service. It also commonly referred to as “Bowditch”.  

 

Ok, pleasantries aside now- I HATED that book as well as the man who wrote it (Nathaniel Bowditch) for all the pain and suffering he caused me through its use. 😬  I barely graduated high school with an algebra 1 math level and had checked out when my algebra teacher told us we’d never use any of it. Math and numbers were never my forte. I’ve learned what I know out of necessity over the years. 

 

I was about to finish my last active duty enlistment when I was approached by the ship’s 1st lieutenant and sailing master, Bosun Raisch. I had successfully avoided getting QMOW (quartermaster of the watch) qualified as I feared the math associated with it. The Bosun cornered me and congratulated me on keeping such a low profile, thus being the only BM on Eagle yet to be qualified. He even went as far to say that I was quite possibly the last BM in the entire fleet to be qualified. “I know you only have a couple of months left, but it’s your turn. Get qualified.”, he says. Aye aye, Bosun!  Away I went to start my arduous journey to becoming QMOW qualified. I applied myself and actually did quite well. Celestial navigation was my least favorite component, but I seemed to do well enough with it. I was able to calculate local apparent noon (LAN) to within 100 yards of the ship’s position using a sextant. We ran my numbers twice and checked them against the GPS chart plotter to confirm. Not too shabby. 

 

Upon receiving my qualification, I quietly asked the Bosun if I could celebrate by throwing a copy of Bowditch overboard. He approved and I found the oldest, most beat-up copy on the ship and proceeded up to the bridge to take the watch. At the end of my watch, I took the book and pitched it overboard saying, “Mr. Bowditch, GET LOST!”  No one knew that I had set it up with the Bosun. All were shocked by what they witnessed and some left confused. 

 

A shirt was made up to commemorate the occasion. Here are photos of the shirt and an example the offending publication. I don’t possess a copy so I had to find a few images to illustrate. 

 

 

 

[Salvage Sailor]

38 minutes ago, TheCrustyBosun said:

The American Practical Navigator, Bowditch-

Ok, pleasantries aside now- I HATED that book as well as the man who wrote it (Nathaniel Bowditch) for all the pain and suffering he caused me through its use.....

 

.....Upon receiving my qualification, I quietly asked the Bosun if I could celebrate by throwing a copy of Bowditch overboard. He approved and I found the oldest, most beat-up copy on the ship and proceeded up to the bridge to take the watch. At the end of my watch, I took the book and pitched it overboard saying, “Mr. Bowditch, GET LOST!”  No one knew that I had set it up with the Bosun. All were shocked by what they witnessed a

d some left confused. 

 

 

 

Nautical Sacrilege.....

 

Still have my Bowditch, including the sextant tables, and my navigation instruments too

 

 

 

 

[TheCrustyBosun]

2 minutes ago, Salvage Sailor said:

 

Nautical Sacrilege.....

 

Still have my Bowditch, including the sextant tables, and my navigation instruments too

 

 

 

 

Torture devices, all of them!!! 
 

Thanks for posting. 
 

Here’s what I have left. Oh and another nautical nightmare- maneuvering boards (MO Boards). Ugh. 

[TheCrustyBosun]

In all seriousness though, navigation is a perishable skill set that needs practice to hone and maintain. I have always had the utmost respect and envy for those who are good at it. I learned it and became proficient enough to ultimately get qualified and successfully navigate the ship. It is a huge responsibility to place on a person’s shoulders, especially an E-4 in their early twenties. It’s been at least ten years since I last exercised those skills. I may be rusty. 😉

[Salvage Sailor]

Maneuvering Boards, now you're in my Batcave.....

 

I was the training PO for the OPS Department on three different ships teaching Mo' Board usage to the QM's & OS's

 

.....and now we return the reader to this fabulous topic, the USCG Barque EAGLE

 

 

 

 

[TheCrustyBosun]

Mo’boards-

 

I’m glad Salvage Sailor contributed his materials. We actually used mo’boards to figure true wind direction, which is an important piece of information when sailing a square rigger effectively and efficiently. The wind direction at the surface differs from that at the main truck, 147 feet aloft at the highest point of Eagle’s rig. It is similar to the idea of variation and deviation when talking compasses- gyro and magnetic/ true north and magnetic. The result effects the trim of the sails and rigging to accommodate for that difference and makes the most of the available wind. If conditions are right and taken advantage of correctly, Eagle will heel over on her sweet spot at 15 degrees and clip along at 18 to 19 knots. It’s an awesome ride!
 

Some may ask what the screw/propellor is doing while sailing. It is de-clutched and free-wheels.  Eagle’s main Diesel engine was a 1,000 hp caterpillar when I was there. Since then, she has received a new engine that is consistent with power plants currently in use on other cutters in the fleet. The same goes for the auxiliary machinery such as the ship’s service generators and other various engineering systems. This allows Eagle to provide training experiences that will directly relate to the fleet. 

[TheCrustyBosun]

The Sisters-

 

The German navy’s sail training program suffered a major blow with the loss of the Niobe in 1932. Niobe had started life as a schooner and was heavily refit and made into a barque. Some criticized the refit claiming it had effected her stability. She would ultimately meet her demise on an otherwise beautiful day at sea. A sudden squall caught her off guard and knocked her down. She was most likely hit by a microburst which heeled her so far over that her sails hit the water, she down-flooded, and sank. She took 69 of her crew with her. 
 

The loss of the Niobe could have signaled the end of the sail training program, but the German Navy regrouped instead and went to shipbuilders Blohm & Voss with the task of designing a class of segelschulschiff (sailing school ship) dedicated solely to sail training. The result was the Gorch Fock in 1933. Blohm & Voss immediately improved upon its initial design when the second ship of the class, Horst Wessel (Eagle) was completed in 1936. Horst Wessel set the standard for the rest of the Gorch Fock class ships and her design continues to influence “modern “ ships such as Brazil’s Cisne Branco, Columbia’s Gloria, and Venezuela’s Simon Bolivar. 
 

The first three ships of the class, Gorch Fock, Horst Wessel, and Albert Leo Schlageter, made up the German Navy’s training fleet with Horst Wessel serving as the flagship. There were two other ships built, but only one completed, Mircea of Romania. The other, Herbert Norkus, was never completed due to the war. Germany was left without a sail training fleet after WWII. In 1958, the Herbert Norkus masts, spars, and rigging were used in constructing Germany’s current sail training vessel, Gorch Fock II. The five completed vessels have been referred to as The Five Sisters and gatherings of these vessels have been rare treats ever since. 
 

The following photos are courtesy of Josh B. and are of items in his collection. This is a great collection of original items that represent Germany’s Gorch Fock class training ships. I am envious and appreciate his contribution to the thread. Thanks, Josh!