4 ms·
Flip looks amazing, but, I can't understand what the benefits are / why it needs to do that!
by wilhil 12y ago
Flip looks amazing, but, I can't understand what the benefits are / why it needs to do that!
- ubernostrum 12y agoIt's a research ship. The problem with research ships is that they float on the surface, and the surface moves. Flipping the ship up like that turns it into a much more stable platform.
- spaky 12y agoHere's a more detailed article on in with some more images. http://www.ship-technology.com/projects/flip-ship/ http://www.ship-technology.com/projects/flip-ship/ Specifically: "keeping the 700 long-ton mass steady and making it perfect for researching wave height, acoustic signals, water temperature and density, and for the collection of meteorological data."
- jholman 12y agoHere's a talk by one of the inventors of FLIP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM6jFokRoZk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM6jFokRoZk He talks about the ship design a little bit, and about his research. There's an impressive clip in there, starting around 16:16, about one time off Hawai'i, when 80' blue-water swells started coming in from some far-off storm. The ship nearly stays in place as the waves engulf it, leaving only 15' above the water.