USCGC Cypress ( WLB - 210 ) USCGC " Cypress " ( WLB - 210 ) is the tenth ship of the U . S . Coast Guard s seagoing buoy tender s . She is outfitted with some of the most advanced technological and navigational capabilities currently available . Predecessors . The previous ship USCG Cypress WAGL - 211 , was one of eight " Manzanita class tenders constructed for the Lighthouse Service . The ship was commissioned on 21 July 1908 , decommissioned 20 August 1946 and sold o 18 March 1947 . WLB - 210 . The advances made from the 180 foot vintage seagoing buoytenders to the current " Juniper " class are all - encompassing . The current " Cypress " is much larger at 225 feet and 2000 tons , and was the first cutter to fully leverage and implement many technological advances such as electronic charting , position keeping , and remote engineering monitoring and control . " Cypress " is also designed to skim and recover oil in the event of an oil spill . " Cypress ' s " Integrated Ship Control System has an Electronic Charting Display and Information System ( ECDIS ) which enables fixing her position to within five meters every second . Her Dynamic Positioning System ( DPS ) uses this positioning information , the ship ' s controllable pitch propeller , and the stern and bow thrusters to keep the ship on station without any human input . These systems allow " Cypress " and her crew to work more buoys in less time , more efficiently and safely , and in tougher environmental conditions than her predecessors . " Cypress ' s " Machinery Plant Control and Monitoring System ( MPCMS ) has over 1000 sensors throughout the ship . This system makes it possible for one person in the engineroom control center to monitor the ship ’ s plant while underway . " Cypress " and her crew are adept at handling various missions such as aids to navigation , law enforcement , homeland security , ice breaking , environmental pollution response , and search and rescue . CYPRESS ’ main operating area stretches along 900 miles of the Gulf Coast , from Apalachicola , Florida to the Mexican Border in Brownsville , Texas , where she is responsible for the maintenance of 120 floating aids to navigation . CYPRESS is truly a multi - mission unit that personifies the Coast Guard ’ s motto “ Semper Paratus , ” meaning Always Ready . Since her commissioning , CYPRESS has distinguished herself through exemplary performance in a wide range of operations . CYPRESS participated in historic hurricane recovery operations after the devastations of Ivan , Katrina , and Rita , recovering and re - establishing buoys that were up to 24 nautical miles off station and re - establishing critical Gulf Coast channels including Pensacola , Mobile , Gulfport , Pascagoula , New Orleans , Sabine , and Corpus Christi . In 2004 , CYPRESS successfully recovered a sunken 38 , 000 pound “ Blue Angels ” F / A - 18A Hornet from 40 feet under water in the Gulf of Mexico and has since served as the center point for the annual Blue Angels ’ famed air show at Pensacola Beach , FL . In 2005 , CYPRESS contributed to the re - build and extension of the Galveston ship channel entrance , the portal to the busy Houston - Galveston area and used by more than 6 , 000 large vessels annually . CYPRESS ’ daily commitment to operational excellence has been recognized by her exemplary performance during three successive rounds of the U . S . Navy ’ s Command Assessment of Readiness and Training ( CART ) and Tailored Annual Cutter Training ( TACT ) , where CYPRESS earned three Battle “ E ” awards for outstanding operational readiness and performance . In spring 2007 , CYPRESS completed her first extended Alien Migration Interdiction Operations ( AMIO ) patrol for Coast Guard District Seven . During this patrol , CYPRESS set the standard for other cutters by successfully chasing and interdicting two go - fast smuggler vessels and seven suspected smugglers ; as well as processing over 75 illegal migrants . In addition to routine and emergency servicing of approximately 120 federal aids to navigation , CYPRESS also assists the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) and the National Data Buoy Center ( NDBC ) by servicing approximately twenty weather buoys throughout the Gulf of Mexico , critical to assisting professional mariners with voyage planning as well as tracking and predicting hurricanes . CYPRESS has also operated in support of her secondary missions , engaging in Maritime Law Enforcement patrols and conducting search and rescue ( SAR ) . In her most recent SAR case , CYPRESS successfully rescued 8 people from their recreational boat just minutes before it sank . CYPRESS promptly responded to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill impacting the Gulf of Mexico , conducting oil recovery operations and support of the operational commander ’ s goals . From April to May 2012 the Cypress underwent a drydock period at Tampa Shipbuilding Company .