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Will Sofrin // The Nazi Origins of the USCG EAGLE
June 30, 2026 · 1h 18m · 178 views · Stockholm
What this video covers
The USCG Eagle, a 295-foot tall ship originally launched as the German training vessel Horst Wessel, was built in the 1930s as a deliberate instrument of Nazi military preparation.22:15 Adolf Hitler attended her launching; her hull number at the shipyard is the direct predecessor to the battleship Bismarck.21:56 Her engine room was an exact replica of a German U-boat engine room, fitted with the same engines so cadets could transition seamlessly to submarine service.0:07 Will Sofrin, author of All Hands on Deck, returns to Andy Schell's On the Wind podcast to discuss his new book on Eagle's history, timed to the ship's 90th anniversary.6:00 Sofrin describes how a single chapter in a book about experiential learning expanded into a standalone manuscript after a chance conversation with Globe Pequot editor Brittany Stoner — delivered in five months alongside the original project.9:56 The conversation covers Eagle's role as the Coast Guard Academy's counter-platform, where cadets gain analog seamanship experience unavailable on modern compartmentalized vessels, and the ship's planned role as America's flagship during the nation's 250th anniversary procession through five port cities culminating in New York.10:32 The discussion broadens into leadership principles drawn from tall ship training.47:31
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