FLIP – Floating Instrument Platform
On Fogonazos’ website I read an article about the FLIP research vessel.
The Floating Instrument Platform, FLIP, is a 355 foot long manned spar buoy designed as a stable research platform for oceanographic research. FLIP is towed to its operating area in the horizontal position and through ballast changes is “flipped” to the vertical position to become a stable spar buoy with a draft of 300 feet.
FLIP is owned by the US Navy and was conceived and developed by the Marine Physical Laboratory (MPL), Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego. Built originally to measure effects of the environment on long range sound propagation for the US Navy’s SUBROC program, FLIP has been used principally for acoustics research since then.
According to this video the design was inspired by a Louisville Slugger, a baseball bat. After each flip all equipment on board (beds, toilet, shower, etc.) needs to be repositioned.
Tags : FLIP, navy, acoustics, oceanography
News
- Biden administration approves first offshore wind farm to supply power to New York
President Biden’s administration greenlit a major offshore wind project to supply power to New York, arriving as part of a broader push to build out renewable energy and tackle climate […]
- Maersk orders 8 carbon neutral ships. Now it needs green fuel
Shipping giant Maersk is taking big strides to decarbonize its fleet with an order for eight new “green” container ships. The only problem? There’s not enough carbon-neutral methanol to power the […]
