U.S Unique Ship RV FLIP: 355ft & 700 Ton Ship can rotate 90 degrees in water to transform research unit
The FLIP research vessel (Floating Instrument Platform) is the only ship in the world having the ability to flip from a horizontal position to a vertical position while at sea.
With an ability to drift over the ocean like a ship - yet transform into a vertical buoy in pursuit of scientific research - the Navy's Floating Instrument Platform (FLIP) is one of the most unique ships on (or under) the water.
The 355-foot and 700 tonne scientific platform is genuine and has been used by the US Office for Naval Research for more than 50 years.
The RV Flip does not have its own engine and has to be towed to the location of scientific study, where it turns 90 degrees, leaving just 50 feet above the surface.
The reason behind the flip, is that with 300 feet below the surface, the vessel becomes incredibly stable. Instead of bobbing up and down on the waves like a traditional boat, it keeps its position.
According to Alan Bellows, "when in horizontal traveling mode, the long, hollow ballast area trails behind. When it reaches the desired location, the "tail" is flooded until the nose sticks straight up into the air, taking about twenty-eight minutes to reach vertical position".
Even in stormy conditions, it is as stable as a fencepost, because most of its length lies in the untroubled waters beneath the waves.
During the flip, the crew stand on the outside decks. Scientists and crewmembers literally walk up the walls to stay upright. Suddenly, the aft side of the barge becomes its floor. That makes for some ingenious engineering feats in equipping its bridge, galley, crew quarters and scientific laboratory. Even its head, or bathroom, had to be constructed to operate in a vertical and horizontal position.
It is used to measure underwater acoustics as well as water temperature. It can be also used for oceanography, meteorology and marine mammal observation.
The vessel can accommodate five crew and up to eleven researchers for up to 30 days.
Once the vessel is towed to its location it 'flips' within 20 minutes by pumping water into several ballast tanks, sinking the front section of the vessel under the waves.
With an ability to drift over the ocean like a ship - yet transform into a vertical buoy in pursuit of scientific research - the Navy's Floating Instrument Platform (FLIP) is one of the most unique ships on (or under) the water.
The 355-foot and 700 tonne scientific platform is genuine and has been used by the US Office for Naval Research for more than 50 years.
The RV Flip does not have its own engine and has to be towed to the location of scientific study, where it turns 90 degrees, leaving just 50 feet above the surface.
The reason behind the flip, is that with 300 feet below the surface, the vessel becomes incredibly stable. Instead of bobbing up and down on the waves like a traditional boat, it keeps its position.
According to Alan Bellows, "when in horizontal traveling mode, the long, hollow ballast area trails behind. When it reaches the desired location, the "tail" is flooded until the nose sticks straight up into the air, taking about twenty-eight minutes to reach vertical position".
Even in stormy conditions, it is as stable as a fencepost, because most of its length lies in the untroubled waters beneath the waves.
During the flip, the crew stand on the outside decks. Scientists and crewmembers literally walk up the walls to stay upright. Suddenly, the aft side of the barge becomes its floor. That makes for some ingenious engineering feats in equipping its bridge, galley, crew quarters and scientific laboratory. Even its head, or bathroom, had to be constructed to operate in a vertical and horizontal position.
It is used to measure underwater acoustics as well as water temperature. It can be also used for oceanography, meteorology and marine mammal observation.
The vessel can accommodate five crew and up to eleven researchers for up to 30 days.
Once the vessel is towed to its location it 'flips' within 20 minutes by pumping water into several ballast tanks, sinking the front section of the vessel under the waves.
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Source : DailyMail , BBC, Fogonazos, U.S Navy , Scripps.ucsd.edu
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