OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. — Jim Franks, longtime fisheries biologists and marine conservationist, has a research boat named after him. The 60-foot, $2 million R/V Jim Franks is the newest research vessel in the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Lab’s fleet. It arrived last week and will take the place of R/V Tom McIlwain, which is retiring. The ship made its way from New Iberia, La. after a 12-hour journey to the Point Cadet Marina in Biloxi last week. (Sources: Sun Herald, USM, 02/11/16)