Specifically: "keeping the 700 long-ton mass steady and making it perfect for researching wave height, acoustic signals, water temperature and density, and for the collection of meteorological data."
The problem with research ships is that they float on the surface, and the surface moves. Flipping the ship up like that turns it into a much more stable platform.
He talks about the ship design a little bit, and about his research.
There's an impressive clip in there, starting around 16:16, about one time off Hawai'i, when 80' blue-water swells started coming in from some far-off storm. The ship nearly stays in place as the waves engulf it, leaving only 15' above the water.
