Kevin Hardyoices(U.S. Navy photo by John F. Williams/Released)FLIPThe Department of the Navy’s Floating Instrument Platform (FLIP) begins the process of tran-sitioning from horizontal to vertical by ? lling ballast tanks in the stern during a cruise commemo-rating 50 years of continuous service to the scienti? c community. The 355-foot research vessel, owned by the Of? ce of Naval Research and operated by the Marine Physical Laboratory at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California, conducts investigations in a number of ? elds, including acoustics, oceanography, meteorology and marine mammal observation. January/February 201912 MTRMTR #1 (1-17).indd 12 MTR #1 (1-17).indd 12 2/6/2019 3:58:04 PM2/6/2019 3:58:04 PM