Rolls-Royce to power Eagle

Germany-based Rolls-Royce was chosen to power the U.S. Coast Guard’s training ship S/Y Eagle, also known as America’s Tall Ship, with a Series 4000 MTU engine. The 80-year-old barque was initially built for the German Navy. The MTU brand is part of Rolls-Royce Power Systems.

The 295-foot, three-masted Eagle, which drives under full sail in the open ocean at speeds up to 17 knots will receive one MTU 8V 4000 marine propulsion engine for use when the cutter is not in sail. The vessel’s repower will also include the addition of the MTU Callosum – an integrated ship automation system that allows operators to monitor the propulsion plant, the on-board power supply and the entire ship.

The U.S. Coast Guard is MTU’s biggest customer in the United States.

“The biggest benefit the U.S. Coast Guard has in turning to MTU is consistency in its fleet,” said Mike Rizzo, government naval program manager at MTU America. “The fleet has many MTU-powered vessels. By powering the training cutter with an MTU, cadets will be able to directly translate their experience to other MTU-powered vessels.”

The Eagle was built in 1936 for the pre-World War II German Navy. It was included in the reparations paid to the United States following World War II and recommissioned as the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle. Together, American and German seamen sailed the ship to its new homeport, New London, Conn., where it‘s been homeported ever since.