ROCKLAND — Many people planning to tour the Coast Guard sailing vessel, Eagle, on Sunday morning, Aug. 4, found a small note taped to a window at one of the Coast Guard buildings announcing that tours had been cancelled.

The training ship (also billed as “America’s Tall Ship”) sailed into Midcoast Maine on August 2, 2024 to help celebrate the 77th Maine Lobster Festival. Promotion of the public tours was widespread, and early on, a few people were lucky enough to get on board. But then, various messages were forwarded to the public via Facebook postings by the Lobster Festival organization and Rockland Main Street. Initial postings spoke of temporary cessation of tours. Then, Saturday evening, Aug. 3, messages announced a cancellation of all tours.

The situation became two-pronged. The Eagle stretched too deep below the surface to allow dockage at the Coast Guard Station, off of Tillson Avenue. Some believe that this inability to dock is a result of a lack of dredging in the harbor. The ship’s recourse was to anchor on the other side of the harbor, off of Owls Head where some seasonal cruise ships often stay, but shuttle vessels could not be acquired.

In response to the Pen Bay Pilot’s inquiries, Lt. Samantha Corcoran reached out to the ship for further information regarding the tour cancellation. Corcoran is the public affairs officer for the Coast Guard’s First District, which spans from the New Jersey/New York border to the Maine/Canada border.

The Coast Guard conducted a safety assessment prior to mooring in Rockland, as they do prior to every mooring and unmooring evolution, according to Corcoran. During the safety assessment, the Coast Guard Cutter Eagle determined that it would not be able to safely moor in Rockland due to concerns with the navigational draft and safe navigable room for approaching the pier.

“The safe navigation of the ship is paramount,” said Captain Rozzi-Ochs, Commanding Officer of Eagle. “Eagle has been in this area before and we were hopeful that we could moor. We were proud to still participate in the Maine Lobster Festival, marching alongside our Coast Guard Station Rockland shipmates, their response boat, and members from the USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119),” she said. “We also celebrated the redesignation of Rockland as a Coast Guard City. This honor belongs to Rockland, for supporting its Coast Guard community.”

The USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119), arrived July 31, anchored in deep water beyond the breakwater. That vessel was still able to support tours.

“Eagle is committed to providing opportunities for the public to board and tour the cutter,” said Corcoran. “Eagle made all attempts to facilitate tours while at anchor but was unable to identify ferry service that would accommodate the general public.”

The next planned port call for the Eagle will be in Boston, Massachusetts, where the ship will be open for public tours throughout the weekend. Members of the media are invited to ride-in with the ship and experience being underway firsthand.

This particular port call will be historic, as the ship plans to rendezvous with the USS Constitution in the vicinity of Castle Island prior to mooring at U.S. Coast Guard Base Boston, according to Corcoran. The last time the two ships sailed together was July 4, 2012.

Additional information about the Eagle can be found here. The Eagle's design dimensions can be found here.