[BITList] Fwd: FLIP Research Vessel

[Michael Feltham]

 From John's Son, Michael, in W. Australia

Mike
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Begin forwarded message:

From: "Mike"
Date: 25 June 2009 15:08:41 BST
To: "John Feltham" <wulguru.wantok at Gmail.com>, "Michael Feltham" <mj.feltham at madasafish.com 
 >
Subject: FLIP Research Vessel



The FLIP research vessel
(Floating Instrument Platform)



The FLIP reaseach vessel (Floating Instrument Platform) is the only  
ship in the world having the ability to flip from a horizontal  
position to a vertical position while at sea.



The FLIP ship is designed to study wave height, acoustic signals,  
water temperature and density, and for the collection of  
meteorological data.


FLIP is 108 meters long and weighs 700 long tons. According to
Alan Bellows
"when in horizontal traveling mode, the long, hollow ballast area  
trails behind. When it reaches the desired location, the "tail" is  
flooded until the nose sticks straight up into the air, taking about  
twenty-eight minutes to reach vertical position".

Even in stormy conditions, it is as stable as a fencepost, because  
most of its length lies in the untroubled waters beneath the waves.






?


During the flip, the crew stand on the outside decks. Scientists and  
crewmembers literally walk up the walls to stay upright. Suddenly, the  
aft side of the barge becomes its floor. That makes for some ingenious  
engineering feats in equipping its bridge, galley, crew quarters and  
scientific laboratory. Even its head, or bathroom, had to be  
constructed to operate in a vertical and horizontal position.


As you can see in the pictures, some of FLIP's furnishings are also  
built so they can rotate to a new position.


In 1995, FLIP received a $2,000,000 modernization. The structural  
build is currently excellent and instrumentation will allow FLIP to be  
an oceanographic powerhouse in the future.





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