The Manitowoc Company, Inc. announced the launch of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Cypress, the tenth ship in a series of 14 seagoing buoy tenders being built at Manitowoc's Marinette Marine subsidiary. The 225-foot Juniper-class vessel is part of a series of contracts, which were awarded to Marinette in 1993 and 1998. The launch ceremony featured Deputy Secretary of Transportation Michael P. Jackson as the keynote speaker, with Caron Jackson, the Deputy Secretary's wife and sponsor of the ship, who performed the traditional christening ceremony. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Cypress will homeport in Mobile, Alabama, under the command of LCDR Samuel "Duke" Walker. It will have a complement of six officers and 34 enlisted personnel.