Summary: Two YouTube videos show footage of a Navy ship being flipped vertically, and a series of ships desperately battling storms.
A YouTube video captures quite the spectacle: flipping a 335-foot research vessel from a horizontal position to a vertical one. The ship, which is owned by the Office of Naval Research and operated by the Marine Physical Laboratory at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, was slowly lifted by the Department of the Navy’s Floating Instrument Platform (FLIP) by filling ballast tanks in the stern. The event occurred during a cruise which commemorated 50 continuous years of service to the scientific community. The vessel is used in many research fields, including meteorology, marine mammal observation, acoustics, and oceanography.
The video begins with the vessel lifted at roughly a 45-degree angle–an image that would remind many of the final scenes in James Cameron’s Titanic. The view then switches to the perspective of those on board who are riding the vessel as it lifts up. Excited cheers can be heard, and shadows cross over the ship as it changes position. Finally, the ship is perfectly vertical, and onlookers applaud. A crew donning orange life jackets can be seen on board.
To watch this incredible feat, click on the video above.
If you enjoyed that video, you can also enjoy a twelve-and-a-half minute video of 10 ships battling Mother Nature in various storms. You can see the boats getting pummeled by waves as their captains struggle to keep them afloat. One video even offers an inside view of what appears to be a cruise ship lounge. Furniture, and even a guest or two, slide back and forth across the floor as the ocean rocks the ship back and forth. In yet another clip, a cruise ship can be seen nearly flipping over into the sea as the sides of the ship brush the ocean.
The video serves as a reminder of nature’s force against manmade objects. We wouldn’t recommend watching it if you’ve got a cruise planned in the near future. However, the unique views these videos offer are quite incredible. Check it out below.