Janet Reno To Christen USCG Cutter

Marinette Marine Corp. is scheduled launch the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter SPAR (WLB-206) on Saturday, August 12, 2000. The SPAR is the sixth ship in a series of sixteen Seagoing Buoy Tenders, which are being built by Marinette Marine Corporation.

The launch ceremony will include a series of speakers including the Key Note Speaker, The Honorable Janet Reno, U.S. Attorney General, who will also be the cutter's sponsor, The Honorable Herbert Kohl, (D-WI), U.S. Senate, and Vice Admiral Timothy Josiah, Chief of Staff, U.S. Coast Guard. As the sponsor, Ms. Reno will christen the ship.

The U.S. Coast Guard will honor its past by naming this cutter, "SPAR", in testimony to the 11,000 American women who became SPAR's and served in the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II. The SPAR's were comparable to the WAC's and WAVE's who served in the U.S. Army and Navy respectively. "Semper Paratus - Always Ready" was condensed into the acronym SPAR and chosen for the name of the woman's corps because it reflected the attitude, and willingness to contribute to the war effort which was displayed by these dedicated service women, who where part of the Greatest Generation immortalized by Tom Brokaw in his recent books. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter SPAR is a 225-ft seagoing buoy tender that will serve in Kodiak, Alaska under the command of LCDR Joanna Nunan.