This photo-filled volume celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the splendid barque Eagle, the nation's only three-masted square-rigger stili sailing the seas. The book examines Eagle's complex construction and her early years under a German flag. It then traces her proud forty-year history as the principal training ship for cadets of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, complete with a list of all commanding officers and an itinerary of ali major cruises. But, as the author points out: "Eagle is more than a training vessel …in her own way, she is a symbol ...of the nation's spirit that has always sought out and nurtured freedom by access to, and control of, the seas that surround us.” As you tour Eagle through words and photographs, you'll explore every inch of her layout “from stem to stern, keel to mastcap.” You'll also discover what it is like to live and work aboard this magnificent tali ship with its more than 20 miles of rigging and more than 20,000 square feet of sail. You realize, too, how wonderfully well Eagle serves our nation, for she not only schools cadets in the traditions of the sea, she also acts as an outstanding ambassador, bringing good will and friendship to ports around the globe.