MOBILE, Ala. – The Coast Guard Cutter Cypress returned to its homeport of Mobile, Ala., May 26, 2007, after a 13-day patrol that took the crew across the Gulf of Mexico for a variety of missions.
Every year, the crew of the Cypress host personnel from the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) as they visit NOAA buoys to perform both routine maintenance and necessary repairs.
During this patrol, the crew of the Cypress re-established aids to navigation (ATON) in Southwest Pass, La; Sabine, Texas; Galveston, Texas; and Aransas Pass, Texas.
While transiting near Corpus Christi, Texas, a crewmember overheard a “Mayday,” distress call and the crew of the Cypress quickly responded. With the assistance of Coast Guard Station Port Aransas’ 41-foot utility boat, the crew of the Cypress rescued eight people from a sinking 30-foot cabin cruiser, which sank minutes later.
The Cypress is a 225-foot seagoing buoy tender with a primary mission of servicing over 120 aids to navigation across the gulf coast from Brownsville, Texas, to Appalachee Bay, Fla..
The Cypress multi-mission support also includes Search and Rescue, Maritime Law Enforcement, Maritime Homeland Security, Marine Environmental Protection and Response, and National Defense.
