Courtney Joins Southeastern Connecticut Community in Welcoming Eagle Home

NEW LONDON, CT – Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) today joined the southeastern Connecticut community in welcoming the USCGC Eagle (WIX-327), the training cutter for future Coast Guard officers, back to her permanent homeport in New London. The Barque Eagle had been temporarily re-assigned to Baltimore since 2014 for long term repairs and needed overhauls.

"It's great to have Eagle back home where she belongs," Courtney said. "The profile of this historic vessel has been a staple of the New London waterfront for decades. With her return today, the Eagle will be a central part of the efforts to honor the legacy of the Coast Guard well into the future as part of the new museum based right in New London. When this move was first announced in 2014 there were some that wondered if Eagle would ever come back. The Coast Guard promised that Eagle would return – and today the Coast Guard has fulfilled that promise."

The Coast Guard announced in 2014 that Eagle would be temporarily re-assigned to the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore to support required maintenance and overhaul work. After hearing concerns from the community about the possibility that this move could result in a permanent change in Eagle's homeport, Courtney contacted then-Commandant Robert J. Papp to underscore the enduring connections between the vessel, the Academy, and the New London area. In response to Courtney's inquiries, Admiral Papp committed that "upon completion of the [repair] project the Coast Guard intends to return EAGLE to her homeport in New London."

Click here to read Admiral Papp's response.

The Eagle is a central part of the ongoing efforts to develop the future National Coast Guard Museum in New London, which Courtney has helped advance through action in Congress.

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