An auxiliary repair dock (ARD) is a type of floating drydock employed by the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

, especially during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. The Navy commissioned 33 ARD vessels: ARD-1 through ARD-33. ARDs were self-sustaining in

. ARDs have a

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally air or water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adve ...

to help in tow moving, making ARDs very mobile, and have a bow to cut through waves. ARDs have a

stern The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Or ...

that can be opened or closed. The stern can be closed with bottom-hinged flap gate, operated by hydraulic rams. This stern gate can be lowered for ship entrance into the submerged dock, and then closed to keep out waves. ARDs were built by the

Pacific Bridge Company Pacific Bridge Company was a large engineering and construction company. During World War II, Pacific Bridge Company of Alameda, California was selected to build US Navy Auxiliary Repair Docks (ARD) a type of Auxiliary floating drydock and Ty ...

, in

Alameda, California Alameda ( ; ; Spanish for " tree-lined path") is a city in Alameda County, California, located in the East Bay region of the Bay Area. The city is primarily located on Alameda Island, but also spans Bay Farm Island and Coast Guard Island, as we ...

USSARD1undertowUSSBridgeAF1PanamaCanal28October1934

a land drydocked at Naval Shipyard Pearl Harbor in Drydock Number Four for repairs in April 1951. at anchor on the Cooper River, Charleston, SC ARD20_floating_repair_dry_dock

Primary use

The ''Auxiliary repair dock'' was a type of

Auxiliary floating drydock An auxiliary floating drydock is a type of US Navy floating dry dock. Floating dry docks are able to submerge underwater and to be placed under a ship in need of repair below the water line. Water is then pumped out of the floating dry dock, ...

, which could, by design, provide drydock facilities to damaged Navy vessels. Floating drydocks of this type were approximately long and weighted about 5,000 tons. The first auxiliary repair dock was the USS ''ARD-1'', built by the Pacific Bridge Company and completed in September 1934. ''ARD-1'' was 393 feet and 6 inches (119.94 m) long, and could lift 2200 tons. ''ARD-1'' was so successful that 30 ARDs were built, most completed between 1942 and 1944. ''ARD-2'' and the next five ARD docks were larger at 3500 tons. and 485'8" (148.0m) long. ''ARD-1'' was taken to a forward Naval base at

Kerama Retto The are a subtropical island group southwest of Okinawa Island in Japan. Geography Four islands are inhabited: Tokashiki Island, Zamami Island, Aka Island, and Geruma Island. The islands are administered as Tokashiki Village and Zamami Villa ...

Okinawa Island is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands of Japan in the Kyushu region. It is the smallest and least populated of the five main islands of Japan. The island is approximately long, an average wide, and has an ...

, to repair the many ships damaged by kamikaze attacks. ARD-1 made many temporary repairs to get ships back into action. Many other ARDs joined ''ARD-1'' in this important task. This minimized the time ships were out of action for repairs.

Drydock facility

Floating drydocks, both ARDs and some other types, are capable of flooding themselves to partially submerge underwater, opening up a stern door to permit a damaged vessel to enter. Once the damaged vessel was above the floating drydock, the door was closed and water was pumped out of the floating drydock, permitting repair work to be performed on the damaged vessel. Such work in battle areas was often of a temporary nature, primarily to return the damaged vessel to seaworthy condition. Once the damaged vessel was sufficiently repaired, the floating drydock was flooded, the door opened, and the repaired vessel allowed to depart for further duty or assignment.

Personnel capabilities

While the damaged vessel was being repaired, the drydock was capable of providing the crew of the damaged ship with temporary necessities, such as meals, laundry, some supplies, and, in a limited number of cases, berthing for crew members. (When possible, the crew of the damaged ship remained on their ship while structural repair was being accomplished.)

Ships in class

* (displacement of 2200 tons) (Built in 1933) (only one in class) * USS ''ARD-2'' sold in 1963 * USS ''ARD-3'' sold 1999 * USS ''ARD-4'' sold 1961 ** ''ARD-2-class 410 feet long, 49 feet, 4 inches wide, ARD-5 to 11:'' * USS ''Waterford'' (ARD-5) * USS ''ARD-6'' sold 1961 * USS ''West Milton'' (ARD-7) Scrapped in 1992 * USS ''ARD-8'' sold 1961 * sold 1977 * sold, scrapped in 2014 * USS ''ARD-11'' sold 1977 ** ''ARD-2-class wide: 410 feet long, 49 feet, 4 inches 59 feet, 3 inches wide, ARD 12 to 32:'' * USS ''ARD-12'' sold 1987 * USS ''ARD-13'' sold 1977 * USS ''ARD-14'' sold 1980 * USS ''ARD-15'' sold 1971 * USS ''ARD-16'' by Pacific Bridge, sold moved to Mobile AL * sold 1971 * USS ''Endurance'' ARD-18 ARDM 3, laid up at

Charleston Naval Shipyard Charleston Naval Shipyard (formerly known as the Charleston Navy Yard) was a U.S. Navy ship building and repair facility located along the west bank of the Cooper River, in North Charleston, South Carolina and part of Naval Base Charleston. ...

* USS ''Oak Ridge'' ARD-19 ARDM 1, to

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, m ...

in 2002 * USS ''White Sands'' ARD-20 by Pacific Bridge Co., (changed to AGDS-1), sold 1974 * USS ''ARD-21'' reserve * USS ''Windsor'' (ARD-22) sold 1976 * USS ''ARD-23'' sold 1992 * USS ''ARD-24'' sold 1982 * USS ''ARD-25'' sold 1973 * USS ''Alamogordo'' ARD-26 sold 2000 * USS ''ARD-27'' Scrapped in 1974 * USS ''ARD-28'' sold renamed '' Capitan Rodriguez Zamora'' * USS ''Arco'' ARD-29 sold to Iran 1971 * USS ''San Onfre'' (ARD-30) by Pacific Bridge Co. * USS ''ARD-31'' To

US Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sig ...

in 1974 * USS ''ARD-32'' sold 1960 * USS ''ARD-33'' (By Dravo Corp.) renamed AFDL 47 '' Reliance'' navsource, USS ''ARD-33'' - AFDL 47, '' Reliance''
/ref>

References

Auxiliary Repair Docks
{{WWII US ships Auxiliary ships Floating drydocks Ship types

Primary use

Drydock facility

Personnel capabilities

Ships in class

See also

References