Commissioned in the 1960s, the RV Flip, a renowned American research vessel capable of tilting vertically, narrowly avoided destruction in 2023. Fortunately, an unexpected human intervention saved it from a grim fate in Mexico.
« The RV Flip must be saved. » This is the inspiring story reported by New Atlas and marine news site gCaptain in publications on October 27, 2024. In the summer of 2023, the fate of this American oceanographic vessel, owned by the Office of Naval Research and used by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s Marine Physical Laboratory, was sealed. This legendary ship, designed to partially submerge vertically—like a floating skyscraper—was embarking on what was supposed to be its final voyage across the Pacific. It was set to be dismantled in Mexico. For over sixty years, the RV Flip had symbolized the boldness of the engineering sector and the thirst for discovery. Its decommissioning announcement was seen as the end of an era and a heart-wrenching moment for those working in underwater design.
An In-Extremis Maritime Rescue to Preserve This Legendary Oceanographic Vessel
In recent decades, this peculiar vessel had repeatedly triggered false alarms about shipwrecks. Although it had served as an extremely valuable floating laboratory since its commissioning in 1962, it was decommissioned in 2023. The story should have ended there, as it was towed to Latin America as planned. However, it owes its survival to the intervention of an individual, as reported by the pureplayers. Specifically, it was Kristen Tertoole, founder and CEO of DEEP, a submarine design firm aiming to create underwater human habitats. As soon as she learned that the RV Flip was going to be destroyed, she gathered a team and gave them this directive: « Save it. »
Giulio Maresca was in his London office at DEEP when he learned that the vessel was to be dismantled. For him and his colleagues, the vessel was much more than metal: it was a symbol of what is possible when engineering and imagination work together. « Our founder’s directive was very clear, » he recalled to gCaptain. « We couldn’t come back without it. » « This ship was born in an era of technical audacity and optimism, » said Kristen Tertoole. « It’s a philosophy we share and seek to embody. »
A race against time began. In less than 48 hours, a DEEP team was en route to Mexico to intercept the 108-meter-long vessel, designed to accomplish the unimaginable: transitioning from a horizontal floating position to a vertical one, submerging 91 meters of its length beneath the ocean’s surface. Over the years, this rare ability allowed the vessel to remain stable despite wave movements. The ship soon proved to be the perfect sentinel for studying acoustics, analyzing wave dynamics, and observing marine life. Over half a century, the RV Flip contributed to numerous groundbreaking works that deepened scientists’ understanding of the ocean’s mysteries.
The Famous Ship Towed from Mexico to France
After long negotiations (and logistical hurdles), the submarine design firm secured ownership of the RV Flip. From Mexico, the vessel began a new journey, crossing the Panama Canal and the Atlantic before reaching the Mediterranean. It was towed to the MB92 shipyard in La Ciotat, France, with plans for it to be transported to a Spanish shipyard in Barcelona, where it will undergo renovation work expected to last between twelve and eighteen months, New Atlas reports.
The company that saved the vessel looks beyond its restoration. The RV Flip is set to deploy DEEP’s Sentinel habitats, underwater living spaces designed for extended research missions. « Numerous oceanographic and research groups have already contacted us, » Kristen Tertoole shared with gCaptain, confirming the global scientific community’s interest in this unprecedented rescue.
Source: GEO
