The

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

had a number of

floating drydock A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...

s for the repair of warships where there was no fixed dry dock available. The docks did not receive a name and were known as "Admiralty Floating Dock" with a number. In size they went up to ones capable of lifting the largest Royal Navy battleships.

List

;19th Century *Admiralty Floating Dock Bermuda - Royal Naval Dockyard,

Ireland Island Ireland Island is the north-westernmost island in the chain which comprises Bermuda. It forms a long finger of land pointing northeastwards from the main island, the last link in a chain which also includes Boaz Island and Somerset Island. It ...

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...

, moored in the camber of what was to become the ''North Yard'' of the dockyard when the ''South Yard'' was constructed at the turn of the Century. 1869-1906. It was intended to be scrapped by a German company, but this was prevented by the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and it remains across the mouth of the

Great Sound The Great Sound is large ocean inlet (a sound) located in Bermuda. It may be the submerged remains of a Pre-Holocene volcanic caldera. Other geologists dispute the origin of the Bermuda Pedestal as a volcanic hotspot. Geography The Great Sound d ...

at Spanish Point, crumbling away in the shallows of Stovell Bay. ;Numbered docks * Admiralty Floating Dock No. 1 -

Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda HMD Bermuda ( Her/His Majesty's Dockyard, Bermuda) was the principal base of the Royal Navy in the Western Atlantic between American independence and the Cold War. The Imperial fortress colony of Bermuda had occupied a useful position astride ...

, 1902-1946. The largest floating drydock in the World, at the time, it was towed to Bermuda from Sheerness by two Dutch tugs (as no British tugs of sufficient power were available) in 1902. It was initially anchored off Agar's Island and Boss' Cove, at Spanish Point, Pembroke, pending completion of the new South Yard, its intended berth, at the Royal Naval Dockyard. Renamed from "Bermuda Dock" to AFD 1 in 1925. Clark & Standfield, 545 ft, 99 ft internal width with a lifting capacity of 11,700tons *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 2 *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 3-

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

, 1912, designed to lift three submarines. 290 ft, 1600 tons *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 4 -

Medway Medway is a unitary authority district and conurbation in Kent, South East England. It had a population of 278,016 in 2019. The unitary authority was formed in 1998 when Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with the Borough of Gillingham to for ...

, 680 ft, 32,000 tons lifting capacity *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 5

, 1946-1951. *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 6 -

Sheerness Sheerness () is a town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 11,938, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby town ...

. built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson 280 ft, 2000 tons. Intended for

Harwich Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-on- ...

to lift two destroyers at a time, moved to Sheerness in 1920. *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 7 *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 8 -

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

, reduced to hulk by 1948 and replaced by AFD No. 35 *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 9 -

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

, also known as "Singapore Dock" or "Admiralty IX", 855 ft long, 55,000 tons capacity *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 10 *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 11 -

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

, 960 ft; lifting capacity 60,000 tons. Built for Southern Railway. Taken over by Admiralty in 1939. *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 12 - At

Rosyth Rosyth ( gd, Ros Fhìobh, "headland of Fife") is a town on the Firth of Forth, south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to the census of 2011, the town has a population of 13,440. The new town was founded as a Garden city-style suburb ...

, 380 ft, 2750 tons *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 13 *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 14 - At

Scapa Flow Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern end in June 2009 Scapa Flow (; ) is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray,S. C. George, ''Jutland to Junkyard'', 1973. South Ronaldsay and ...

during WWII. Built by Palmers Hebburn, 240 ton lift, 142.5 ft *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 15 - At

Stornoway Stornoway (; gd, Steòrnabhagh; sco, Stornowa) is the main town of the Western Isles and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. The town's population is around 6,953, making it by far the largest town in the Outer Hebrides, as well a ...

and

Greenock Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...

during WWII. Built by Palmers Hebburn, 240 ton lift, 142.5 ft *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 16 - At

Lerwick Lerwick (; non, Leirvik; nrn, Larvik) is the main town and port of the Shetland archipelago, Scotland. Shetland's only burgh, Lerwick had a population of about 7,000 residents in 2010. Centred off the north coast of the Scottish mainland ...

and

Invergordon Invergordon (; gd, Inbhir Ghòrdain or ) is a town and port in Easter Ross, in Ross and Cromarty, Highland (council area), Highland, Scotland. It lies in the parish of Rosskeen. History The town built up around the harbour which was establish ...

during WWII. Built by Palmers Hebburn, 240 ton lift, 142.5 ft *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 17 - Reykjavik. 2750 tons built at Devonport. Moved to Sydney in 1944 arriving in May 1945 *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 18 - Clark Stanfield design, lifting capacity of 2750 tons *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 19 *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 20 -

Port Bannatyne Port Bannatyne ( gd, Port MhicEamailinn) is a coastal village on the Isle of Bute, Firth of Clyde, Scotland that is home to many steamers. Port Bannatyne developed into the 1900s as a quieter and more unusual alternative to Rothesay. It is a pop ...

on the Isle of Bute. 2750 tons. Replacement for AFD7. Used for submarines including

X-craft The X class was a World War II midget submarine class built for the Royal Navy during 1943–44. It was substantially larger than the original Chariot manned torpedo. Known individually as X-Craft, the vessels were designed to be towed to thei ...

*Admiralty Floating Dock No. 21 *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 22 - Clark Stanfield design built at Chatham, lifting capacity of 2750 tons, intended for the emergency docking of escort vessels and destroyers. *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 23 *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 26 -Fabricated in Calcutta, assembled in Bombay 1944, Braithwaite B/j Ltd. Moved to Hafnarfjördur, Iceland 1995 is still in operation will be scrap 2021 - 2022 *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 28 -Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda. 1941-1946. *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 35 -Malta. 1948 onwards. *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 48 -Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda. The smaller of two at

from 1946 (replacing a US lend-lease dock) until the dockyard was reduced to a base in 1951. Transferred to civil Government after 1951 and remained until 1972. *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 59 -Portsmouth, 1960 onwards. long, for "destroyers, frigates and nuclear submarines" *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 60 - Faslane (now HMNB Clyde), 1965 onwards. Constructed in Portsmouth, operated at Faslane with a 6000 ton capacity for nuclear submarines. Moved to Hafnarfjördur Iceland 1997 is still in operation *Admiralty Floating Dock No. 67 - 1945. Constructed from concrete. 800 ton capacity for service with RN Far East.Floating Dock is towed out East. 28 March 1945, Alfred Lock, Birkenhead. AFD 67, Concrete floating dock built within three...
IWM

Notes

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References

Auxiliary ships of the United Kingdom