Floating Instrument Platform (FLIP)
Considering we live on a planet who's surface is 71% water, it only makes sense that we should understand as much about the oceans as we do dry land. So throughout the years there has been countless expeditions who's main purpose was to collect information about the vast bodies of water throughout the world. The men and women who have dedicated their lives to the specific purpose of unlocking the secrets of the vast waterworld that resides within our planet, have benefited from various vessels designed specifically to meet that challenge. In 1950, French explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau acquired the minesweeper Calypso, and transformed it into an oceanographic research vessel. Then in 1966 he was invited to produce a documentary on about ocean life for television. So for the next 10 years "The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau" would become America's eye into the world of sharks, whales, dolphins, sunken treasure, and coral reefs. Many of today's Oceanographers credit Jacques Cousteau for their passion of Ocean exploration. With the awareness of Cousteau's show, there would soon be many more research vessels designed by many engineers for the purpose of understanding the Ocean, above and below the surface. The American public's awareness of what was beneath the ocean waves would be aroused by the discovery of the Titanic on September 1, 1985 by a submersible named the Argo. The Argo was used by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Research Vessel Knorr to find the sunken, unsinkable ocean liner. Then in 1997 Director James Cameron introduced to the world to another submersible vessel named Alvin, when he released his mega hit movie "Titanic". As early as WWI, submersibles have been used by the navy for the specific purpose of exploring the Ocean floors. Then on January 23, 1960, the navy's Trieste set an all-time depth record by diving to the bottom of the Challenger Deep in the Marianas Trench in the Pacific Ocean. However, all these deep sea research vehicles need ships to get them to their destination of exploration. Like the research vessel Knorr which is owned by the U.S. Navy, these ships are all equipped with the newest technology that allows for anywhere from 10 to 38 scientists to be on board at the same time performing various research projects in the laboratories. Like the Knorr, these ships can stay at sea for upwards of 2 months at a time before they need to come to port for supplies. There is the R/V Atlantis which has a crew of 23 while allowing for 24 scientists, and the R/V Kilo Moana which is operated by the University of Hawaii, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, in Manoa. The R/V Kilo Moana is 186 feet long and displaces 2,542 tons. It holds 17 crewmen and 31 scientists and can travel at 15 knots. Except for some strange looking equipment on deck, you would not be able to distinguish one of these research vessels from any merchant ship. That is all but one. That one research vessel is so distinguishable from the other research vessels that it doesn't even look like a ship. Nope, fact is this research vessel looks more like a Louisville slugger while being towed out to sea, and a giant water buoy when it is fully deployed. They call this vessel the FLIP, which is short for Floating Instrument Platform. Made in 1962, yet still being used, the Flip is one of the worlds.....
Calypso
ARGO
Knorr
FLIP