The R/P FLIP (Research Platform FLoating Instrument Platform) was built in 1962 by the US Navy and operated by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. It features the unique ability to tilt a full ninety degrees, submerging most of the structure underwater and leaving only the section containing living quarters above the water, looking like something out of Waterworld.
This feat was accomplished by filling the forward portion with water and expelling the water with compressed air to return to the horizontal position. FLIP was used to study waves, acoustic signals, water temperature and density, marine mammals, and meteorological data. To avoid possible interference, it does not have its own means of propulsion and must be towed.
In 2021, it was announced that the Office of Naval Research did not have enough funding to refit the vessel. Rob Sparrock, the program officer overseeing ONR's research vessel program, hoped it could be rescued.
"I'd like to see a naval base or maritime museum adopt FLIP, and install the 55-foot section in the upright position so people can see it and actually go on it," Sparrock said. "The other 300 feet can be sunk as a reef for divers."
"FLIP is so historic; it just doesn't seem right to scrap her."
In 2023, FLIP seemed destined for the scrapyard when it was decommissioned and towed to Mexico to be dismantled, but it was rescued at the last minute. Last week, DEEP, which describes itself as "a subsea design firm developing the next generation of underwater human habitats," announced that it had acquired FLIP, towed it to France for a refit, and anticipated returning it to the ocean in 2026.
The video has excellent footage showing how the interior is designed for use in both horizontal and vertical orientations.
Previously: On board the ship that tips
