In 1962, the Marine Physical Laboratory and the US Navy worked together to build The Flip Ship (Floating Instrument Platform), a unique research vessel. It is unique because it can stand vertically from a regular ship’s horizontal position and is 355 feet tall with a spoon-like shape. The ability of the ship to change its posture for study from horizontal to vertical is its most remarkable characteristic.

 

The flip ship’s amazing transformation from horizontal to vertical, which takes around 28 minutes, is impressive. The Flip Ship can complete its transformation into an accurate research vessel by allowing water to enter its ballast tanks and completely submerging it 300 meters beneath the surface of the ocean. The main reason for building this research vessel was because, in most cases, a ship’s horizontal posture makes it impossible to obtain accurate readings of the ocean’s waves and other marine data because the movement caused by the ship’s natural shape reduces the efficiency of the measuring equipment.

 

The invention of the Flip Ship, which could deal with the problem of monitoring gadget potency, allowed the Research Ship to continue its investigation while standing vertically and independent of the waves. The ship is capable of maneuvering in both shallow and deep seas and can endure waves as high as 80 feet. When pushed into the waves, the ship may move at a top speed of roughly 7 to 10 knots, and once it is upright in the water, no extra support is required to keep it there.

 

The data collected by the Flip Ship include wavelength, water temperature and density, water acoustics, and other meteorological data that may be useful for the research of marine plants and animals. 

Let’s watch the video below to know more about this special flip ship:

Source: Scripps Oceanography

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