FLIP Turns 50 ! Navyâ€™s Floating Instrument Platform One Half
Century Old The Navy’s Floating Instrument Platform, better
known as FLIP, went into service fifty years ago, in 1962. Â The
355-foot research vesselÂ is capable of operatingÂ horizontallyÂ
as a conventional, ifÂ somewhatÂ odd-looking, ship. When on
station, however, it “flips” vertically 90 degrees and becomes
the equivalent of a massive sparÂ buoy. Â Because the
hydrodynamic forces act primarily on the bottom of the vessel,
which is far below the surface waves, the ship is highly stable
in heavy seas and up to 80′ waves. You’d think a ship designed
after a baseball bat would go over like a foul ball when it
comes to seaworthiness, but research ship FLIP has been a hit
since its launch 50 years ago. Operated by Scripps and owned by
the U.S. Navy, the 355-foot FLIP was designed by Phillip
Rudnick, Fred H. Fisher, and Fred N. Spiess, and first tested in
July 1962 as part of an anti-submarine rocket program. It was
recently shown off in the Pacific