FISC Pearl Harbor LSC "flips" for the FLIP

Navy Supply Corps Newsletter, July-August, 2003 by Keith Sykes

Miles from shore and hours from any hope of rescue, the ship's stern slipped ever so slowly into the depths. As it sank, its bow lifted from the water, tilting at a crazy angle until it was pointed at the sky. On its deck clustered a silent knot of five Sailors and 11 civilians, all clutching and grasping at any available handhold, struggling to retain their footing as the bow rose ever higher. Then, with dismay in his eyes, one sailor turned to another and uttered ... "Did you remember to secure our checkers game?"

Welcome to the FLIP ship, where "sinking" is a way of life.

In the latter part of 2002, the FISC Pearl Harbor Logistics Support Center (LSC) provided logistics support for the most bizarre ship west of the Rockies--the Floating Instrumentation Platform, more commonly known as the FLIP ship.

Constructed in 1962, the 355-foot FLIP is the Navy's oldest--and oddest --research vessel. At first glance, it appears as though the company that built the ship ran out of money after completing only the bow. Fifty-feet long, the bow looks little different than the bow on most ships, except that it is covered with a vast array of scientific equipment. As one's gaze moves toward the stern, however, the similarities abruptly end.

If readers can possibly picture a floating 300-foot long Louisville Slugger baseball bat--with antennas--then they will have just pictured the FLIP. This "baseball bat," which is just large enough to allow a person to walk upright inside, provides the ship with its uniqueness, its singular ability to flip and, as we shall see, its usefulness as a research vessel.

The FLIP Ship is operated by the Marine Physical Laboratory, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and is used to support oceanographic research projects. It has no means of propelling itself and must be towed everywhere it goes. In September 2002, it was towed from its homeport in San Diego to Pearl Harbor. After FISC Pearl's LSC saw to its provisioning, it was again put under tow and was moved this time to a spot 20 miles northwest of O'ahu, which would become its home for six weeks as scientists aboard the vessel studied deep-ocean tidal currents.

Once it reaches an area it has earmarked for research, the ship floods ballast tanks that are located in the "baseball bat." The added weight causes the bat to slowly sink from its horizontal, floating position to a vertical one. As it sinks, the bow is thrust vertically into the air.

Although the entire flip takes about 28 minutes, the final 45-degrees of the flip takes about 45 seconds. This is not a good time to be sunning yourself on the deck.

According to one crew member, during the final stages of the flip, "you put one foot on the floor and one foot on the wall, and, as the ship flips, the floor becomes the wall and the wall becomes the floor."

For safety reasons, the crew moves to the deck during the flip. On occasion, something has not been properly secured, and, as the ship flips, it will be tossed about inside the vessel.

"The flip is a pretty exciting event," said William Gaines, a retired Navy captain who now serves as assistant director of the Scripps Marine Physical Laboratory. "There's lots of noise and spewing water."

Due to the stability created by the 300-foot submerged hull, the FLIP is nearly motionless when in the vertical position, and this feature enhances ocean experiments. The stability has also enabled the vessel to survive batterings by 80-foot blue water swells.

Because the ship operates in two different positions, a tour of its interior can be mind-boggling. In the head, for example, one finds a sink in its customary place, but directly alongside it is another sink, which is mounted sideways on the wall. Similar oddities exist throughout the vessel, including doorways set into ceilings and floors. Interestingly, after the ship flips, it gains 1.5 times the amount of usable space it had prior to flipping.

Typically, the FLIP ship carries five crewmen and 11 scientists. Conditions are cramped.

"If you don't get along with other people, this is not a good place to work," said Tom Golfinos, FLIP Officer in Charge.

"By all standards, this is pretty austere living," said Gaines.

Provisioning the FLIP ship requires singularly unusual procedures for an LSC, which is more accustomed to providing for ships, such as aircraft carriers, that can carry 5,500 personnel.

At FISC Pearl, the FLIP was handled by LCDR Keith Sykes, who headed the Customer Services Division and now heads the Terminals Department; Renee Aweau, LSC head; and, most importantly, Kris Kawamoto, the Logistics Support Representative who acted as "concierge" for the ship. Kris arranged for fuel, stores, transportation, and even a crane for the loading and offloading of research equipment.

Because space is so tight aboard the FLIP, the cases of food that are delivered by food vendors have to be broken down to individual pieces before they can be taken to the ship. A typical order might consist of three heads of lettuce, five tomatoes, four cantaloupes, two dozen eggs, 10 pieces of chicken, 15 cans of soda, etc. It was Kris' responsibility to store any leftover food from the opened cases, so that it would be available for the next delivery.