Jan 19, 2009

The Flipping Ship - FLIP.

FLIP (Floating Instrument Platform) is an amazing ship - though technically its an open ocean research vessel. It has no engines or other means of propulsion which means it has to be towed around, but what FLIP is capable of overpowers all the other things - it can turn 90 degrees, and turn from "ship-mode" to a "platform mode", it has the ability to flip from a horizontal position to a vertical position while at sea.
The FLIP ship is designed to study wave height, acoustic signals, water temperature and density, and for the collection of meteorological data.
The living and working areas are in the top part and most of the bottom has empty compartments and when these are filled with air, it floats in its horizontal position. And when water is filled in the bottom compartments, the lower 300 feet of the vessel goes under the water and in all twenty - eight minutes it stands vertically and the working areas have risen as much as five stories into the air.
Even in unfavorable weather conditions, its quite stable as most of its length lies in the untroubled waters beneath the waves.
During the flip, the crewmembers need to stand on the outside decks. The furnishings are built in such a way that it can be rotated to the new position after the flip, washrooms are constructed in a vertical and horizontal position, though some equipment needs to be unbolted and moved.
FLIP is 108 meters long and weighs 700 long tons, it carries a crew of five, plus up to eleven scientists. In 1995, FLIP received a $2,000,000 modernization.
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