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The Research 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 has been used principally for acoustics research. It has
also been used in a variety of other programs, including geophysics, meteorology,
physical oceanography, non-acoustic ASW and in laser propagation experiments.
FLIP has operated in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
For more than 40 years, FLIP has served as a valuable oceanographic research
platform for the Navy, NSF and other agencies. FLIP is uniquely stable
in rough seas where other research vessels experience difficulty. Carrying
a research team of 11 people and a crew of 5, FLIP can sustain research
operations for up to 30 days without resupply and can operate either drifting
or moored.
FLIP is constructed of approximately 700 tons of Tri-Ten steel, a product
of the U.S. Steel Corporation. The diameter of the hull is 6.5 meters
from the 91-to-49 meter depth, tapering to 4 meters at the 20 meter depth.
This change in diameter makes FLIP less responsive to wave motion; in
ten meter waves FLIP's total vertical motion has been less than 1 meter.
FLIP has no propulsion power. It has a small hydraulically operated orientation
propeller located below the vertical water line that can rotate the vessel
about its vertical axis. The propeller can be servo-controlled from the
gyro compass to maintain a heading. Three diesel generators supply 340
KW electrical power for ship and scientific needs. The engines are gimballed
for operation in either the horizontal or vertical position.
Fresh water is carried in a 1,500-gallon tank, and replenished daily by
a 30-gal/hour reverse-osmosis water maker. About 3,000 cubic feet of air
at a maximum pressure of 250 psi is stored in eight storage flasks located
inside the ballast tanks.
Although FLIP has performed far beyond expectations, constant upgrading
is required to keep pace with new techniques found for this valuable research
tool.
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