Cmdr. Anita Lopez, NOAA Corps, assumes command today of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ship Oscar Elton Sette, relieving outgoing commanding officer Cmdr. Karl Mangels.

The Sette is a 224-foot vessel that supports the scientific missions of NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service Honolulu Laboratory. The ship conducts fisheries assessment surveys, physical and chemical oceanography, marine mammal projects and coral reef research throughout the central and western Pacific.

The ship's home port is at Ford Island in Pearl Harbor.