View source for RP FLIP

{{Short description|Open ocean research platform}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin
| display title=RP ''FLIP''
| infobox caption = RP ''FLIP''
}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = RP FLIP (Floating Instrument Platform) in August 2009 (cropped).jpg
| Ship caption =
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Ship country = United States
| Ship flag = {{USN flag}}
| Ship owner = DEEP
| Ship operator = [[Scripps Institution of Oceanography]] (former)
| Ship route =
| Ship ordered =
| Ship builder = *[[The Greenbrier Companies|Gunderson Brothers Engineering]]
*[[Portland, Oregon]]
| Ship original cost = Approximately {{US$|600,000}}<ref name="flip-history"/>
| Ship yard number =
| Ship way number =
| Ship laid down =
| Ship launched = 22 June 1962<ref name="flip-history"/>
| Ship completed = 23 July 1962<ref name="flip-history"/>
| Ship christened =
| Ship acquired =
| Ship maiden voyage =
| Ship in service = September 1962 <ref name="flip-history"/>
| Ship out of service = August 2023
| Ship identification = *[[Maritime call sign|Call sign]]: WI7115
*{{MMSI Number|338040561}}
| Ship fate =
| Ship status = Undergoing refit at [[La Ciotat]], [[France]]<ref name="deep"/>
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Ship class =
| Ship type = Research platform
| Ship tonnage =
| Ship displacement = 700 tons<ref name="flip-description"/>
| Ship length = {{convert|355|ft|m|sigfig=3|abbr=on|order=flip}}<ref name="onr-resves"/>
| Ship beam = {{convert|7.93|m|ft|sigfig=3|abbr=on}}<ref name="onr-resves"/>
| Ship height =
| Ship draught = *Towed: {{convert|3.83|m|ft|sigfig=3|abbr=on}}<ref name="onr-resves"/>
*Deployed: {{convert|300|ft|m|sigfig=3|abbr=on|order=flip}}<ref name="onr-resves"/>
| Ship depth =
| Ship decks =
| Ship deck clearance =
| Ship power = *2 × {{convert|150|kW|abbr=on}} diesel generators<ref name="flip1985"/>
*1 × {{convert|40|kW|abbr=on}} aux generator<ref name="flip1985"/>
| Ship propulsion = None
| Ship speed = Towed: {{convert|7|-|10|kn|mph kph|0|abbr=on}}<ref name="onr-resves"/>
| Ship endurance = 35 days<ref name="onr-resves"/>
| Ship capacity = *[[Fresh water]]: {{convert|1500|USgal|L|sigfig=3|order=flip|abbr=on}}<ref name="flip-description"/>
*Water generation: {{convert|31|USgal/h|L/h|order=flip|abbr=on}}<ref name="flip-description"/>
| Ship complement = 5 crew, 11 researchers<ref name="onr-resves"/>
}}
|}
'''R/P ''FLIP''''' (''floating instrument platform'') is an open ocean research platform<ref name="flip-description"/><ref name="onr20120622"/> that was owned by the U.S. [[Office of Naval Research]] (ONR) and operated by the [[Scripps Institution of Oceanography]].<ref name="onr-surface1"/> The platform is {{convert|355|ft|m|sp=us|order=flip}} long and is designed to partially flood and [[flight dynamics|pitch]] backward 90°, resulting in only the front {{convert|55|ft|m|sp=us|order=flip}} of the platform pointing up out of the water, with [[bulkhead (partition)|bulkheads]] becoming decks. When flipped, most of the buoyancy for the platform is provided by water at depths below the influence of surface waves, hence ''FLIP'' is stable and mostly immune to wave action, similar to a [[spar buoy]]. At the end of a mission, [[compressed air]] is pumped into the [[ballast tank]]s in the flooded section and the platform, which has no propulsion, returned to its horizontal position so it can be towed to a new location.<ref name="whoi-flip"/> The platform is frequently mistaken for a [[capsize]]d ocean transport ship.<ref name="SIO-youtube"/>
''FLIP''<nowiki/>'s last research cruise was in late 2017, with ONR ending its support of the vessel in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ortiz-Suslow |first=D. G. |date=2021-09-23 |title=Remembering FLIP, an Engineering Marvel for Oceanic Research |url=http://eos.org/opinions/remembering-flip-an-engineering-marvel-for-oceanic-research |access-date=2023-08-05 |website=Eos |language=en-US |archive-date=5 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230805003703/https://eos.org/opinions/remembering-flip-an-engineering-marvel-for-oceanic-research |url-status=live }}</ref> It was berthed at the Nimitz Marine Facility pier (Scripps) in [[Point Loma, San Diego|Point Loma]] until being towed away to be scrapped on August 4, 2023. However, ''FLIP'' was purchased in 2024 by DEEP with plans to overhaul and modernize the platform for ocean research.
==History==
[[File:RP FLIP towed to sea (120630-N-PO203-038).jpg|thumb|upright|left|''R.P.FLIP SAN DIEGO'' Sa under tow, 2012]]
The Marine Physical Laboratory (MPL) of [[Scripps Institution of Oceanography]] created ''FLIP'' with funding from the [[Office of Naval Research]] and the assistance of the commercial naval architecture firm The Glosten Associates.<ref name="flip-history"/> ''FLIP'' was originally built to support research into the fine-scale phase and amplitude fluctuations in undersea sound waves caused by thermal gradients and sloping ocean bottoms. This acoustic research was conducted as a portion of the Navy's [[UUM-44 SUBROC|SUBROC]] program. Development started in January 1960 after a conversation between MPL researcher Frederick H. Fisher and MPL Director [[Fred Spiess|Fred N. Spiess]] regarding stability problems that Fisher was encountering when using the submarine {{USS|Baya|SS-318}} as a research platform. Spiess recalled a suggestion from [[Allyn Vine]] that upending a ship might make it more stable, based on Vine's observation of a Navy [[mop]] floating in waves. Fisher was subsequently assigned to work on the feasibility and later development of such a vessel. The Gunderson Brothers Engineering Company in Portland, Oregon, launched ''FLIP'' on 22 June 1962.
==Capabilities==
''FLIP'' was designed to study wave height, [[acoustics|acoustic]] signals, water temperature and [[density]], and for the collection of [[meteorological]] data.  Because of the potential interference with the acoustic instruments, ''FLIP'' had no means of propulsion.  It required towing to open water, where it drifted freely or was anchored.
''FLIP'' was 700 [[gross tonnage|gross tons]]. It carried a crew of five, plus up to eleven scientists. It was capable of operating independently during month-long missions without resupply.<ref name="Sealift"/> It could be operated around the world, although it normally operated off the west coast of the [[United States]] from a home base at Scripps' Nimitz Marine Facility in [[San Diego]], [[California]].<ref name="Sealift"/> The ship had specially designed interiors: some fixtures, such as the toilet seats, could flip 90°, and the shower heads were curved 90°. There were overhead lights on the surfaces that were the ceilings in both the towing (horizontal) and flipped orientations.
==Research==
''FLIP'' was used on a number of research expeditions at Scripps, often towed off shore of California, with the last cruise being September-October 2017.
Research conducted on ''FLIP''<ref>{{Cite web |title=FLIP's Research Experience |url= https://scripps.ucsd.edu/ships/flip/research}}</ref> has included studies of:
*  the relation of temperature variations in the ocean to fluctuations in intensity and direction of sound waves;
* waves generated from storms in the South Pacific, for which ''FLIP'' was stationed between Hawaii and Alaska;
* turbulence and thermal structure of the ocean;
* amplitude and directionality of internal waves;
* energy transfer between the ocean and atmosphere in which wind velocity, humidity, and temperature profiles immediately above the ocean surface were measured;
* ambient noise intensity and direction using vertical hydrophone arrays suspended from ''FLIP'' and horizontal arrays (DIMUS) at the bottom of ''FLIP'';
* long-range sound propagation; variation in properties of the earth's crust, for which ''FLIP'' was used as a listening platform for explosive sound signals launched from four ships going away from ''FLIP'' in four different directions;
* depths to which whales dive;
* effects of pressure on sound attenuation;
* scattering of sound from the sea surface and reverberation.
==Decommissioning==
Following the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] and reduced funding, the decision was taken to scrap the platform. In August 2023, Rob Sparrock, the program officer overseeing ONR’s research vessel program noted that it “... would cost about $8 million to make ''FLIP'' useable for another five or 10 years, but that funding could be better used elsewhere.”<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lundquist |first=Edward |date=2021-06-15 |title=Will the Navy's FLIP Fade Away, or Find a Forever Home? |url=https://seapowermagazine.org/will-the-navys-flip-fade-away-or-find-a-forever-home/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230805003703/https://seapowermagazine.org/will-the-navys-flip-fade-away-or-find-a-forever-home/ |archive-date=5 August 2023 |access-date=2023-08-05 |website=Seapower |language=en-US}}</ref>
On August 3, 2023, the storied vessel departed for a scrap yard in Mexico, apart from an instrument boom which will be installed on a pier at Scripps.<ref>{{cite web |title=World's Strangest Research Vessel Heads for Scrapyard After 60 Years |url=https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/world-s-strangest-research-vessel-heads-for-scrapyard-after-51-years |publisher=The Maritime Executive |access-date=13 August 2023 |date=8 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-08 |title=Storied Research Platform is Retired |url=https://scripps.ucsd.edu/news/storied-research-platform-retired |access-date=2023-08-15 |website=Scripps Institution of Oceanography |language=en}}</ref>
At the decommissioning, Scripps’ Marine Physical Laboratory (MPL) Director Eric Terrill lauded the system and the spirit that inspired it, saying “''FLIP'' set the stage for thinking big about what could be done with technology to enable new scientific discoveries ... 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.”
== Purchase and refit ==
On October 23rd, 2024, DEEP, an organization working to expand access for ocean exploration, announced the purchase of ''FLIP'' and their plans to overhaul and modernize the platform for ocean research. It will also support the deployment of DEEP’s Sentinel habitats, enhancing their extended research network. ''FLIP'' was transported from Mexico to La Ciotat, France where it will undergo a 12-to-18 month refit.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The ONR's 'flipping' vessel, which was believed to be scrapped, has been saved for ocean science - Deep |url=https://www.deep.com/article/the-onrs-flipping-vessel-which-was-believed-to-be-scrapped-has-been-saved-for-ocean-science/ |access-date=2024-10-23 |website=www.deep.com}}</ref><ref name="deep">{{cite news|url=https://newatlas.com/marine/flipping-flip-ship-saved/|title=Flipping FLIP ship saved from scrapyard at last minute|first=David|last=Szondy|date=2024-10-27|work=New Atlas}}</ref>
==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:FLIP turns 50.ogv|Video of ''FLIP'' flipping
File:RP FLIP at research location (120630-N-PO203-310).jpg|''FLIP'' vertical in 2012
File:RP FLIP towed to sea (120630-N-PO203-076).jpg|''FLIP'' under tow in 2012
File:RP FLIP external platforms in horizontal position (120630-N-PO203-396).jpg|''FLIP'' in horizontal position, showing rails for vertical position
</gallery>
==References==
{{Reflist |refs=
<ref name="flip-history">{{cite web |url=https://scripps.ucsd.edu/ships/flip/history |title=FLIP: History |publisher=Scripps Institution of Oceanography |access-date=9 November 2019 |archive-date=9 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191109205339/https://scripps.ucsd.edu/ships/flip/history |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="onr-resves">{{cite web |url=http://www.onr.navy.mil/sci_tech/32/322/projects/res_vessels.asp |title=Research Vessels |publisher=United States Navy, Office of Naval Research |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090414190203/http://www.onr.navy.mil/sci_tech/32/322/projects/res_vessels.asp |archive-date=14 April 2009}}</ref>
<ref name="flip1985">{{cite book |url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7ct1c67z |title=FLIP: FLoating Instrument Platform |publisher=Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Marine Physical Laboratory |first1=Earl D. |last1=Bronson |first2=Larry R. |last2=Glosten |date=October 1985 |access-date=12 April 2014 |archive-date=13 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413140513/https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7ct1c67z |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="flip-description">{{cite web |url=http://www.mpl.ucsd.edu/resources/flip.description.html |title=FLIP: Description |publisher=Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Marine Physical Laboratory |access-date=12 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907143317/http://www.mpl.ucsd.edu/resources/flip.description.html |archive-date=7 September 2015}}</ref>
<ref name="onr20120622">{{cite news |url=https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=67999 |title=Navy's Floating Research Platform 'Flips' for its 50th Anniversary |publisher=United States Navy, Office of Naval Research |first=Grace |last=Jean |date=22 June 2012 |access-date=11 April 2014 |archive-date=13 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413123601/http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=67999 |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="onr-surface1">{{cite web |url=http://www.onr.navy.mil/focus/ocean/vessels/surface1.htm |title=Research Vessels: Surface Vessels - R/V FLIP |publisher=United States Navy, Office of Naval Research |access-date=21 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130127005603/http://www.onr.navy.mil/focus/ocean/vessels/surface1.htm |archive-date=27 January 2013}}</ref>
<ref name="whoi-flip">{{cite web |url=http://www.whoi.edu/air-sea/flip.htm |title=All About F.L.I.P. |publisher=Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution |access-date=21 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609030711/http://www.whoi.edu/air-sea/flip.htm |archive-date=9 June 2011}}</ref>
<ref name="SIO-youtube">{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM6jFokRoZk  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/bM6jFokRoZk |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=FLIP - The World's Strangest Research Lab |publisher=Scripps Institution of Oceanography |work=YouTube.com |first=Fred |last=Fisher |year=2002 |access-date=21 August 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
<!--not used
<ref name="Scripps1996">{{cite book |url=http://scilib.ucsd.edu/sio/annual/Annual_report_1995.pdf |title=Explorations |publisher=Scripps Institution of Oceanography |volume=2 |issue=4 |page=63 |year=1996 |id=Annual Report Fiscal 1995}}</ref>-->
<ref name="Sealift">{{cite web |url=https://www.msc.navy.mil/sealift/2003/October/flip.htm |title=FLIP ship gets a lift from USNS Navajo |publisher=United States Navy, Military Sealift Command |date=October 2003 |access-date=21 August 2010 |archive-date=7 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607131641/http://www.msc.navy.mil/sealift/2003/October/flip.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}
==External links==
{{commons category|R.P. FLIP (ship, 1962)}}
* [https://scripps.ucsd.edu/ships/flip R/P ''FLIP'' homepage]
* [https://www.ship-technology.com/projects/flip-ship/ "FLIP - Research Vessel"] on Ship-Technology.com
* [https://www.damninteresting.com/nugget/the-boat-designed-to-capsize/ "The Boat Designed to Capsize"] on ''Damn Interesting''
* {{Cite web |title=FLIP: Floating Instrument Platform - DEEP |url=https://www.deep.com/flip/ |access-date=2024-10-23 |website=www.deep.com}}
;Media
* {{YouTube|3hYafJIr1B4|"''FLIP'' 50th"}}
* {{YouTube|hq8j86OenqM|title="355-foot 700 Ton Ship Flips"}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flip, RP}}
[[Category:Research vessels of the United States]]
[[Category:Scripps Institution of Oceanography]]
[[Category:University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System research vessels]]
[[Category:1962 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Portland, Oregon]]