The Eagle: America’s Tall Ship Screened at Heritage Center

Captain & Director Lead Post-Show Discussion

The Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center will host a free screening of The Eagle: America’s Tall Ship on Thursday, April 22 at 7 p.m. Film maker David Wittkower and Eagle Captain Eric Jones will be present to discuss the film and to answer questions.

This new documentary offers a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most unique US Coast Guard training exercises at sea. Christened in the German Navy and seized as a war prize during World War II, the Eagle today trains over 600 new officer cadets every year. With a call to ‘Sail Stations,’ the action begins as trainees learn to climb rigging that stretches 130 feet above the water, unfurl sails while battling heavy seas, and master rigorous drills focusing on flood control, safety, man overboard, firefighting, damage control, first aid, navigation, line handling and more.

The eighty minute long film introduces the exceptional breed of men and women who call the Eagle home. They share their stories of what it’s like to live and learn in an atmosphere where the pace is hectic, the action nonstop, and the dangers ever present.

Produce/director David Wittkower grew up in Rockport. He graduated from Rockport High School in 1979 and trained as a cinematographer at the American Film Institute in 1981. He has won more than two dozen awards for his documentary film work. His credits also include work on Discovery, History, PBS, TLC, Travel Outdoor and VS channels as well.

Captain Eric Jones is a 1987 graduate of the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. He holds a B.S. degree in Marine Engineering from the Coast Guard Academy, am M.S. in Applied Mathematics and Fluid Dynamics from Brown University, and an M.B.A. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan Fellows Program in Innovation and Global Leadership.

Captain Jones reported to Eagle after serving for two years as the Deputy Chief, Office of Congressional and Government Affairs, at United States Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

For further information, call the Heritage Center at 978-281-0470