Today's oceanic research vessels make up a varied and diverse fleet. They can be as large as an icebreaker in the Arctic, and as small as a rowboat in the tropics. Many of today's vessels are equipped with high-resolution imaging tools, remote and autonomous underwater vehicles, wet and dry laboratories and an array of tools for sensing and sampling the ocean environment. As part of NOAA Fisheries' modernization initiative, two former navy vessels have been modified to perform fisheries research. Pictured above is the GORDON GUNTER, built in 1989 as the Naval ship RELENTLESS, she was transferred to NOAA in 1993 and commissioned as the GORDON GUNTER in 1998 to perform research in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. Four newly constructed FRVs are planned to come on line over the next four years. The first of these, the OSCAR DYSON, will be commissioned later in 2004 to begin research off Alaska.