The USCGC Eagle arrived in Portland Wednesday evening, passing under the St. Johns Bridge after traveling up the Columbia and Willamette rivers from Astoria. The 295-foot sailing vessel — a steel-hulled, three-masted barque — is now docked at Waterfront Park, where it joins eight other ships as part of the Portland Rose Festival’s Fleet Week.
Since being taken from Germany after World War II, the Eagle has trained generations of Coast Guard officers. Built in 1936 as the
Horst Wessel
and seized by the United States as a war reparation, the ship was renamed the
Eagle
and now serves as a hands-on training platform for cadets. It remains one of the last operational square-rigged sailing ships in the world — and the only one still in active U.S. military service.
This year, the Eagle is a centerpiece of Fleet Week, a Portland tradition dating back to 1907 that brings military ships and crews to the downtown waterfront for several days of public tours and civic events. Crews from the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy are offering free ship tours through Sunday.
Free public tours of the Eagle
-
Friday, June 6: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
-
Saturday, June 7: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
-
Sunday, June 8: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Fleet Week offers a rare look at life aboard working military vessels and celebrates more than a century of Portland’s ties to the sea services. Below is a breakdown of all nine ships visiting Portland this week.
| Branch | Name | Length | Year | Purpose | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States Navy | USS Mustin (DDG 89) |
509 ft
|
2003 | Destroyer | Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer with Aegis system for multi-domain warfare. |
| United States Navy | USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) |
509 ft
|
2023 | Destroyer | First Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer with upgraded radar and missile defense. |
| United States Coast Guard | USCGC Eagle (WIX-327) |
295 ft
|
1936 | Training ship | Three-masted barque used to train cadets; acquired by the U.S. after WWII. |
| United States Coast Guard | USCGC Bluebell (WLI-313) |
100 ft
|
1945 | Buoy tender | Maintains navigation aids on the Columbia, Willamette, and Snake rivers. |
| United States Coast Guard | USCGC Blue Shark (WPB-87360) |
87 ft
|
2002 | Patrol boat | Marine Protector-class vessel conducting law enforcement and SAR in coastal waters. |
| United States Coast Guard | USCGC Henry Blake (WLM-563) |
175 ft
|
2000 | Buoy tender | Keeper-class cutter maintaining aids to navigation in Puget Sound. |
| Royal Canadian Navy | HMCS Nanaimo (MM 702) |
181 ft
|
1997 | Coastal defense | Kingston-class vessel supporting patrol, mine countermeasures, and maritime security. |
| U.S. Army Corps of Engineers | Survey Vessel Redlinger |
104 ft
|
2010 | Survey vessel | Foil-assisted catamaran used for hydrographic surveys and dredging support. |
|
Sources: U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, Royal Canadian Navy, Army Corps of Engineers Mark Graves/The Oregonian |
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U.S. Navy ships will be open for public tours June 5–8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., but lines may close early depending on wait times — sometimes as early as 2 p.m.
Visitors must present government-issued ID and pass through security screening. Open-toe shoes are not allowed
, and all are encouraged to bring as few items as possible.
–Mark Graves, The Oregonian/OregonLive
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300 ft. tall ship arrives in Portland for Fleet Week (photos)
300 ft. tall ship arrives in Portland for Fleet Week (photos)
300 ft. tall ship arrives in Portland for Fleet Week (photos)