Montana Class

[RustyBattleship]

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Is the LBNSY aerial picture with the inset illustrating the location of the old drydock indicating that the whole shaded area was a Drydock ?

That would be one awesome facility... maybe a squadron of ships in there at once.

Really impressed with the floating drydock and the West Virginia sitting high and dry. Did the Navy have more than one of these type of drydocks?

If you buy my book, you will see a picture of a "squadron" of ships in there.

As for floating dry docks large enough for Battleships, I know of only one other in Holy Loch, Scotland.

[Ytlas]

If you buy my book, you will see a picture of a "squadron" of ships in there.

Does ya means the peetcher with da 10 LCI's, USS Mustin and the USS Petrof Bay?

[connaye]

If you buy my book, you will see a picture of a "squadron" of ships in there.

As for floating dry docks large enough for Battleships, I know of only one other in Holy Loch, Scotland.

So the " floating drydock " ( if I'm using the correct term ) that transported the U.S. Navy ship attacked in the Mid East several months past back to the U.S. for rebuilding isn't one that could "lift" an Iowa?

[Pacfanweb]

So the " floating drydock " ( if I'm using the correct term ) that transported the U.S. Navy ship attacked in the Mid East several months past back to the U.S. for rebuilding isn't one that could "lift" an Iowa?

Google pictures of the M/V Blue Marlin carrying the Cole. The Cole barely fit and it's almost 400 ft shorter than an Iowa.

[connaye]

Thanks for the referring me to the MV Blue Marlin.... The jpeg really illustrates the broken back of the ship.
Makes you appreciate what wonders the shiprights can accomplish in restoring a seaworthy status to a vessel.

Comparing the U.S.S. West Virginia to the U.S.S. Cole is apples and oranges.

I'm now searching for the floating dry dock Rusty Battleship mentioned...

[connaye]

Is this the Floating Dry Dock Rusty is referencing?

Best jpeg I can find on google

[RustyBattleship]

Actually, the Cole's "back" was not broken. Within a couple of days of the attack co-workers of mine from both Supships San Diego and NAVSEA were emailing me photos for analysis. But with that big of a hole, there was no way we would take a chance of even towing her back.

Same thing with the Roberts. Her back wasn't broken, but bent the hell out of shape and had to be brought back also by a Dutch ship carrier. Two of us volunteered to go to the mideast and inspect her. But Brian Persons was picked as he was better at engineering calculations than me. And it's a good thing too as the overall analysis was very, very complex as it was dealing with the entire "box girder" design of the entire hull and not just a couple of I beams.

I didn't have a chance to follow up on Stark's return as I was immediately assigned to work with NAVSEA on a Stealth system for the Perry's. I only saw a photo of an entirely new deckhouse module held by a crane to be lowered into place. So I don't recall if she was towed or floated back.

The picture of the Floating Dry Dock in Holy Loch looks about right. Shortly after I transferred up to the Design Division, my boss was considering of sending me there to witness some weight tests of the cranes. But his boss insisted to send a degreed engineer instead. That's okay. He was a real good engineer and flew light airplanes for relaxation. Unfortunately he was not allowed to fly without another licensed pilot with him as he was totally blind in one eye. Sort of strange because for excitement he drove in high speed Sports Car races.

[Rumrunner]

Is this the Floating Dry Dock Rusty is referencing?

Best jpeg I can find on google

Rusty is referring to the Los Alamos (AFDB-7) which was built in WWII in 4 sections. She went straight into reserve after completion and sent to Holy Loch in 1961 to mainly service boomers, but in the event of full scale conflict with Russia she could have been used for most Captial ships.

She decommed in the mid 90's and is now in Brownsville working at the Keppel AMFELS rig yard.

Pics:
Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock (AFD)

[surfgun]

I thought it looked like it (AFDB-7) on Google World in Brownsville. The imaging also has the former Des Moines, prior to scrapping.

[TopHatter]

I didn't have a chance to follow up on Stark's return as I was immediately assigned to work with NAVSEA on a Stealth system for the Perry's. I only saw a photo of an entirely new deckhouse module held by a crane to be lowered into place. So I don't recall if she was towed or floated back.

After repairs in Bahrain, Stark sailed home under her own power.

[Dreadnought]

1989 Sammuel B Roberts FFG-58 was carried home by Mighty Servant II after striking a mine in the Gulf. Stark was dismantled here in Philly in April 2006.