U.S. Embassy, London
April 18, 2019
016/19
@USAinUKPress
Contact
ENS Angelica Brooks, Public Affairs Officer
Email: Angelica.B.Brooks@USCG.mil
The Coast Guard Tall Ship Eagle, “America’s Tall Ship,” is scheduled to arrive in Portsmouth, England on April 26, 2019 at 11am. Eagle will moor up for 5 days at South Railway Jetty and will be open for free public tours on Saturday, 27 April and Sunday, 28 April. South Railway Jetty is located at Portsmouth Harbor.
Barque Eagle will be open for free public tours on the following dates and times:
- Saturday, April 27: 1000 – 1200 for first responders, military, and government officials; 1100 – 1900 for the public
- Sunday, April 28: 1000 – 1200 for first responders, military, and government officials; 1000 – 1900 for the public
At 90 meters (295 feet) in length, Eagle is the largest tall ship flying the stars and stripes and the only active square-rigger in United States government service. Constructed in 1936 by the Blohm and Voss Shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, and originally commissioned as the Horst Wessel by the German Navy, Eagle was a war reparation for the United States following World War II. Eagle is a three-masted barque with more than 6,797 square meters (22,300 square feet) of sail and 9.7 kilometers (6 miles) of rigging, Eagle has served as a classroom at sea to future Coast Guard officers since 1946, offering an at-sea leadership and professional development experience as part of the Coast Guard Academy and Officer Candidate School curriculum.
Captain Matthew Meilstrup, the Commanding Officer, will be available for media interviews aboard Eagle on April 29 at 0900. Please coordinate all media requests through Ensign Angelica Brooks, the Public Affairs Officer, Angelica.B.Brooks@uscg.mil.
For a continuous stream of information about Coast Guard Tallship Eagle, including port cities, tour schedules, current events, as well as cadet and active duty crewmember photographs, follow the “United States Coast Guard Barque EAGLE” Facebook page. All U.S. Coast Guard imagery is in the public domain and can be shared widely.
Bio Captain Matthew T. Meilstrup U.S. Coast Guard
A Mishawaka, Indiana native, CAPT Matt Meilstrup graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Science. He holds masters degrees in International Public Policy from The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, Business Administration from Regis University, and Strategic Studies from the Marine Corps War College.
Upon commissioning, CAPT Meilstrup served as a Deck Watch Officer and the Operations Officer aboard USCGC GENTIAN, homeported in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. Subsequent afloat assignments include Operations Officer in the U.S. Navy Exchange Program aboard the USS SIROCCO, a Cyclone-class Patrol Boat in Little Creek, Virginia, Navigator of EAGLE from 2001-2002, and Executive Officer of USCGC JARVIS (WHEC 725) in Honolulu, Hawaii. Additionally, he has commanded four cutters: USCGC POINT HURON in Little Creek, Virginia, USCGC SASSAFRAS (WLB 401) in Guam, USCGC SEQUOIA (WLB 215) as a member of the commissioning crew, also in Guam, and USCGC CONFIDENCE (WMEC 619), homeported in Port Canaveral, Florida. He assumed command in USCGC EAGLE (WIX 327) on 13 June 2015.
Assignments ashore include Company Officer at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut and Regional Advisor in the Coast Guard Headquarters International Affairs office. He also served as the Chief of the Homeland Defense Division and Coast Guard Liaison in the Joint Chiefs of Staff, J3 Directorate for Operations.
CAPT Meilstrup’s commendations include various personal, unit, and service awards, as well as the permanent Cutterman Pin. In 2010, he was selected as the Coast Guard’s CAPT David H. Jarvis Award winner for Inspirational Leadership by the Navy League of the United States and named an Honorary Chief Petty Officer.
