Bizarre 'flipping' research ship turns 50

The Floating Instrument Platform (FLIP) that can sink itself on purpose and withstand heavy seas in a vertical position has turned 50 now. It can go from a horizontal to vertical position while staying afloat and stable in heavy seas, even in 80-foot waves. That allows it to perform oceanographic research measurements with great accuracy.

Scripps Institute of Oceanography engineer Eric Slater said in recalling FLIP riding out a hurricane."Waves hit it like a brick wall. We were literally thrown out of our chairs inside FLIP when the big waves hit."

Operated by Scripps and owned by the U.S. Navy, the 355-foot FLIP was designed by Phillip Rudnick. It can pump 700 tons of seawater into the fat end of the baseball bat, submerging that part, while the other end rises. It takes some 20 minutes to flip.

The vessel ends up standing in the sea like a buoy that's five stories tall. It has often been mistaken for a capsized ship. Inside the crew areas is a strange Escher-like world of doors in floors, portholes in ceilings, and tables bolted to walls. It's more than slightly disorienting.

Beds, sinks, and everything else aboard serving its crew of five and team of 11 researchers is either doubled for horizontal and vertical, can swing either way, or gets repositioned manually.