"This sea story of fathomless evil and moral redemption begins in 1936 in Hamburg, Germany. There, in the presence of Adolf Hitler and thousands of cheering Nazis, a splendid three-masted sailing ship was christened Horst Wessel. Throughout World War II, the barque was a training ship for naval officers. After Germany's defeat, it was taken over by the U.S. Coast Guard. The Americans found the crew terrified and half starved; they brought the young Germans, so recently their mortal enemies, back to life. The Germans, in return, taught the American sailors the ways of the beautiful square-rigged ship, newly rechristened Eagle. In time, Eagle would become the Coast Guard's elite school ship - the barque of saviors."--Jacket.
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