Sinking Ship?

The surface of the ocean is a rough place to do research. Strong waves rock boats, which can make scientists seasick and toss equipment around their labs. To solve this problem, engineers designed the Floating Instrument Platform, or FLIP. This floating lab stays stable in choppy waters thanks to a section that sinks—on purpose! 

FLIP was designed in 1962 at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, California. Scientists can use the lab to study waves, measure water temperature, or listen for whale calls.

The unique vessel has two orientations. A tugboat tows it out to sea in a horizontal position (see How It Works, below). Then the captain opens tanks in the back of the ship. The tanks fill with water, causing that end of the ship to sink. The front rises into the air. 

The heavy sunken end acts as ballast, or weight that steadies the ship. This keeps the part above water from rocking in the waves. “It’s much more stable than floating on the sea surface,” says Robert Pinkel, an ocean scientist at Scripps.

Up to 16 people can live aboard FLIP for 30 days at a time. The vertical lab feels like a tree house over the ocean, says Pinkel. “It would be really fun if we didn’t have to work so hard.”

The ocean is a rough place to do research. Strong waves can rock boats. That can make scientists seasick. The motion can also toss gear around their labs. But engineers found a way to solve this problem. They created the Floating Instrument Platform, or FLIP. It’s a floating lab. It stays steady in choppy waters. That’s because of a special section that sinks on purpose!

FLIP was designed in 1962. It was created at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, California. Scientists can use the lab to study waves. They can also measure water temperature. And they can listen for whale calls.

The special ship has two positions. At first it sits on the water like a regular boat. A tugboat tows it out to sea (see How It Works, below). Then the captain opens tanks in the back of the ship. The tanks fill with water. That causes the back end of the ship to sink. The front rises into the air.

The heavy sunken end acts as ballast. This weight holds the ship steady. It keeps the part above water from rocking in the waves. “It’s much more stable than floating on the sea surface,” says Robert Pinkel. He’s an ocean scientist at Scripps.

Up to 16 people can live aboard FLIP. They can stay for 30 days at a time. The lab feels like a tree house over the ocean, says Pinkel. “It would be really fun if we didn’t have to work so hard.”