https://maritime-executive.com/article/world-s-strangest-research-vessel-heads-for-scrapyard-after-51-years [ ] Go SUBSCRIBE NOW Maritime Executive Logo Maritime Executive Logo Media Kit * news * Features * Podcasts * Magazine * Newsletter * Blogs * Directory * Jobs * Advertise * Subscribe * news * features * Podcasts * magazine * newsletter * blogs * directory * Jobs * advertise * subscribe TOP STORIES Singapore Strait Warning Issued Over Increase in Sea Robberies in Singapore Strait Published by The Maritime Executive cocaine seizure Rotterdam's Largest Cocaine Seizure as Efforts Expand to Stop Smuggling Published by The Maritime Executive Crowley charging station Crowley Breaks Ground on Unique e-Tug Charging Station in San Diego Published by The Maritime Executive Ukrainian port Ukraine Attempts Corridor to Release Foreign Ships Caught in Ports Published by The Maritime Executive 95547 Views World's Strangest Research Vessel Heads for Scrapyard After 60 Years FLIP FLIP in 2016 (Scripps) Published Aug 8, 2023 11:37 PM by Paul Benecki The Scripps Instition of Oceanography's innovative Floating Instrument Platform (FLIP) has been towed off into the sunset for the last time. It may well have been the strangest, most recognizable research vessel ever built - and its users remember that it was exceptionally effective. For more than 50 years, FLIP provided a stable research station at sea for Scripps' scientists and their colleagues from around the world. The one-of-a-kind vessel (technically a platform) could be partially flooded to sink the stern and change the orientation of its buoyancy. In less than an hour, it could transition seamlessly from a horizontal barge for transit into a vertical spar platform for stationary operation. To refloat from vertical to horizontal mode, the crew would pump out the ballast tanks with compressed air, and the vessel's stern would rise back up to the surface. By design, FLIP was minimally affected by ocean swells, and it provided scientists an extra-stable, extra-quiet platform for sensitive experiments. Physical oceanographic research conducted aboard FLIP produced "exquisite" data, according to ONR Ocean Sensing Battlespace Department director Dr. Tom Drake, and established a "gold standard" for ocean modeling to support U.S. Navy research objectives. "It was like being on land except in the middle of the ocean. It was just glorious," remembered Scripps oceanographer John Hildebrand, who used the platform's stability and relative silence to study marine mammal sounds. "There were things you could do with it that you couldn't do any other way." Planning for FLIP's creation began at the National Research Council Committee on Oceanography in the late 1950s, according to Scripps scientist and longtime FLIP researcher Rob Pinkel. The committee's list of top priorities included a deep-diving submersible - the famous Alvin - and FLIP. The unique spar platform was designed and built by Scripps, and it launched in 1962. Most of its core mission systems were designed to rotate through 90 degrees, from the air compressors to the galley cabinets. The diesel generators were mounted on gimbals and connected to their fuel and exhaust piping using flexible hoses. "FLIP set the stage for thinking big about what could be done with technology to enable new scientific discoveries," said Scripps' Marine Physical Laboratory (MPL) Director Eric Terrill. "It was built in an era of risk-taking; a spirit that we try to embrace to this day and encourage in the next generation of seagoing scientists." The venerable spar vessel has been towed off for the last time, but a piece of it remains at Scripps. The institution has arranged for one of FLIP's booms to be removed and mounted onto a pier, where it will continue to be used to deploy instruments into the water. MORE TOP STORIES * Philippines Asks China to Prove "Agreement" to Leave Disputed Reef * Norway Approves Plans to Electrify Hammerfest LNG Terminal * Bollinger Cuts Steel on Prototype Modules for Delayed Icebreaker * U.S. Coast Guard Rescued 12 People From the Water During Lahaina Fire EDITORIALS TOP STORIES * Opinion: Time to Increase Arctic Maritime Domain Awareness * AI and Amateur Photos Spot the Decline of China's White Dolphins * New Tech Makes Maritime Domain Awareness Affordable for Small Nations * Floating Solar Has Vast Potential Near the Equator, Away From Storms * What Happens if the North Atlantic's Circulation Shuts Down? SUBSCRIPTIONS SUBSCRIBE * Print * Digital * Newsletter * Renew Subscribe Now RELATED STORIES Shipping Singapore Strait Warning Issued Over Increase in Sea Robberies in Singapore Strait Published Aug 10, 2023 5:18 PM by The Maritime Executive A new warning was issued after a rash of robberies aboard bulkers underway in the Singapore Strait. The monitoring and reporting organization ReCAAP based in Singapore is reporting four incidents in the past three days with a strong increase in incidents so far in 2023. As of the beginning of August, ReCAAP warns that the number of reports equals all of those for 2022. ReCAAP and private security firms have repeatedly issued warning noting the strong increase in robberies and... Continue Reading... Ports cocaine seizure Rotterdam's Largest Cocaine Seizure as Efforts Expand to Stop Smuggling Published Aug 10, 2023 4:23 PM by The Maritime Executive Prosecutors in the Netherlands confirmed the largest-ever individual seizure of cocaine being smuggled through the port of Rotterdam. The discovery was made last month but only now released with few details as they continue to investigate this case while a broader crackdown is also underway to stop the arrival of illegal narcotics at Europe's ports. The shipping company involved in the seizure was not identified. They said the drugs were discovered during a sweep of containers and when drug sniffing... Continue Reading... Shipping Crowley charging station Crowley Breaks Ground on Unique e-Tug Charging Station in San Diego Published Aug 10, 2023 2:31 PM by The Maritime Executive On Wednesday, Crowley broke ground on a new charging station for America's first all-electric tugboat. The future tug eWolf will soon begin serving the San Diego market with emissions-free towing services, and to power up, it will have a one-of-a-kind shoreside battery system all ready to go. The charging station will be a solar-assisted, battery-enabled microgrid system, and it is a novel solution to the utility grid factors that are common for shore power and port electrification projects. The... Continue Reading... Shipping Ukrainian port Ukraine Attempts Corridor to Release Foreign Ships Caught in Ports Published Aug 10, 2023 2:21 PM by The Maritime Executive Ukraine is once again attempting to open a temporary humanitarian corridor to facilitate the exit of ships trapped in its Black Sea ports. There have been several previous attempts, including negotiations with the Russians about providing safe transit for ships that have been in the ports since the February 2022 invasion and were not included in the Black Sea grain agreement. In a statement released by the Ukrainian Navy and the Southern Command, they reported the routes would be clearly... Continue Reading... 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