The Massive Floating Dry Docks of the Pacific Fleet

Totally agee Lou. Very well stated.

 

Another Ulithi link.

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http://ww2today.com/11-march-1945-kamikaze-pilots-find-the-remote-us-base-at-ulithi

"Within a month of the occupation of Ulithi, a complete floating base was in operation. Six thousand ship fitters, artificers, welders, carpenters, and electricians arrived aboard repair ships, destroyer tenders, and floating dry docks."

 

6 of the 7 sections of ABSD-7 are still in operation as Solomon Ortiz Dry Dock at Keppel AmFELS Shipyard, Brownsville, Texas.

 

Technically one of the keepers. NHHC has their own photographic division, but the National Archives is where the bulk of the Navy photographs were put. Federal agencies are supposed to turn records over to NARA when they are done with them, but a very small percentage actually makes it in. NHHC has a lot more online though, so it's more accessible from the comforts of home.

Also, the number of vessels in a drydock depends on a log of factors. The ABSDs were massive, but we had much smaller and more portable units. PT boats and some landing craft were hauled out of the water on floating drydocks assembled from pontoon blocks also used in amphibious landings and there were many different sizes in between.

 

is this WW2 era manufactured?? if so, amazing!

 

yes, but only just. It was completed and commissioned in March, 1945.

Several smaller ww2-era floating drydocks are still in use. Check out the links over at navsource:
http://www.navsource.org/archives/ydidx.htm

 

Or even online and with good google skills.

NHHC has posted a selection of NARA's 80-G collection, which is a subset of photos the Navy collected. I go through 5-10 boxes per trip (the more great photos I find that I "need" to scan, the fewer boxes I go through because each one takes longer). I think that it would be generous to say they have less than 1% of 1% posted online. If travel absolutely is not an option, the NHHC digital collection is better than nothing, but I would heartily encourage anyone who can make it to consider doing so - I'll even throw in my help free of charge for planning, etc.

 

Can confirm; am single and doubled my research trips after the divorce.

Random images I've posted for fun and to answer questions on Reddit:
PT Boat Gallery
Aircraft Gallery
US Navy ship gallery
Non-US ships gallery
US Navy Shore Facilities

These are all images from 80-G that I came across randomly when researching carriers for the most part. The PT boat stuff was a search for a friend.