The American Eagle is a two-masted schooner launched in 1930 that is one of the last of its type built in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Her original name was Andrew and Rosalie.
As American Eagle, the schooner fished as a trawler from 1942 until July 1983, the majority of that time under the ownership of Gloucester brothers John, Joe, and Gus Piscitello, who acquired her in 1945.
She is currently owned and Captained by John Foss, who rebuilt her for the cruise ship trade. She spends summers cruising Penobscot Bay in Maine on 3-7 day cruises, though she generally takes one longer cruise per year to places like Grand Manan island in Canada. She is one of the few schooners in Maine that goes on longer cruises, and one of the few that goes offshore looking for whales. She also generally returns to Gloucester every year.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1992.
Famous quotes containing the words american and/or eagle:
“The obvious parallels between Star Wars and The Wizard of Oz have frequently been noted: in both there is the orphan hero who is raised on a farm by an aunt and uncle and yearns to escape to adventure. Obi-wan Kenobi resembles the Wizard; the loyal, plucky little robot R2D2 is Toto; C3PO is the Tin Man; and Chewbacca is the Cowardly Lion. Darth Vader replaces the Wicked Witch: this is a patriarchy rather than a matriarchy.”
—Andrew Gordon, U.S. educator, critic. “The Inescapable Family in American Science Fiction and Fantasy Films,” Journal of Popular Film and Television (Summer 1992)
“If the Americans, in addition to the eagle and the Stars and Stripes and the more unofficial symbols of bison, moose and Indian, should ever need another emblem, one which is friendly and pleasant, then I think they should choose the grapefruit. Or rather the half grapefruit, for this fruit only comes in halves, I believe. Practically speaking, it is always yellow, always just as fresh and well served. And it always comes at the same, still hopeful hour of the morning.”
—Johan Huizinga (1872–1945)