FISC Pearl Harbor LSC "flips" for the FLIP.

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.