A tug tows the Department of the Navy's Floating Instrument Platform (FLIP) in the horizontal position to a location off the coast of Southern California were it will transition to a vertical position in order to conduct scientific research. Built in 1962, the 355-foot research vessel, owned by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and operated by the Marine Physical Laboratory at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California, is celebrating 50 years of operation.