The Nazi Ship that Became a US Flagship
American History Hit
History Hit
4.3 • 1.8K Ratings
🗓️ 2 July 2026
⏱️ 37 minutes
🔗️ Recording | Apple Podcasts | RSS
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Summary
Before boarding the USCGC Cutter Eagle for Sail4th 250's tall ship parade, Don is finding out more about this iconic ship.
How did a Nazi ship end up in American hands? Find out in this episode with Will Sofrin, a master shipwright, former professional sailor, licensed captain and the author of 'USCG Cutter Eagle: The Legacy of the Coast Guard's Flagship'.
Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Produced by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Want to explore even more history? Sign up to History Hit, where you will discover history from around the world. |
| 0:07.1 | From the American Revolution to prehistoric Scotland, there is plenty to discover. With your subscription, you'll unlock hundreds of hours of exclusive documentaries, with a brand new release every week, exploring everything from the ancient |
| 0:22.4 | world to World War II. Just visit history hit.com slash subscribe to bring the past alive. |
| 0:33.7 | The ship is nearly the length of a football field, 295 feet overall. |
| 0:40.3 | Her main mast rises 150 feet above the deck, roughly the height of a 14-story building. |
| 0:47.3 | Her beam, the width of the vessel at its broadest point, is 39 feet across, wider than most streets in Manhattan. |
| 0:55.0 | Everywhere you look, there are lines, cables, spars, sails, |
| 1:01.0 | a complexity of design that for the non-sailer feels almost impossible to grasp. |
| 1:07.0 | There are many great sailing ships in the world and all inspire awe. |
| 1:11.7 | But the Eagle has a unique story to tell because this magnificent icon of the United States Coast Guard |
| 1:18.6 | was originally commissioned, designed, and built by Nazi Germany. |
| 1:27.7 | Hello listeners, I'm Don Wildman, and this is American History Hip. As I speak, we are in the |
| 1:34.2 | midst of our nation's semi-quincentennial celebration, and right around the corner comes July |
| 1:39.5 | 4th and sail 4th 250, the great tall ships parade in New York Harbor. Leading that procession |
| 1:46.3 | will be the Eagle, the majestic training vessel of the United States Coast Guard. Today, we are |
| 1:51.7 | joined by Will Soffron, author of the brand new book, USCG Cutter Eagle, the legacy of the Coast |
| 1:58.0 | Guards flagship. Soffron himself is a professional sailor, |
| 2:02.0 | Master Shipwright, |
| 2:03.0 | teacher from MIT, |
| 2:04.6 | and a nautical artist and writer. |
| 2:06.4 | So let's cast off the lines and get underway. |
| 2:23.1 | Wilson, Will Soffron, welcome to American History Hit. |
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