 Sister ship of USS Endeavor AFDL-1, the USS Dynamic AFDL-6 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name: | USS Endeavor AFDL-1 |
| Builder: | Chicago Bridge and Iron |
| Acquired: | September 1943 |
| Commissioned: | September 1943 |
| In service: | 1943 |
| Fate: | Sold to Dominican Republic in 1986 |
| Status: | In Active Service |
| Notes: | Ship International Radio Callsign: NFKD |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | AFDL-1-Class |
| Displacement: | 800 tons |
| Length: | 200 feet |
| Beam: | 64 feet (inside width 45 feet) |
| Draft: | 3' 3" (light), 31' 4" (flooded) |
| Propulsion: | none - towed |
| Armament: | none |
| Notes: | Lifting Capacity: 1,900 tons |
USS Endeavor was a 200-foot AFDL-1 Class Small Auxiliary floating drydock in service with the United States Navy during World War II. Built and delivered by Chicago Bridge and Iron in Morgan City, Louisiana in September 1943, she entered service as USS AFD-1. She was redesignated AFDL-1 on 1 August 1946. In 1986, she was decommissioned, struck from the Naval Register and transferred to the Dominican Republic and redesignated DF-1. She is currently in Active Service as of 2017. [1] [2]
Auxiliary floating drydock are US Navy floating dry docks that are able to submerge under water and be placed under a ship in need of repair below the water line. Floating drydocks then rise up under the ship raising the ship out of the water. The ship is now blocked on the deck of the floating dry dock for repair. Most floating drydocks had no engine and are towed by tugboats to locations. Floating dry docks come in a different sizes to accommodate varying ship sizes. The large floating drydocks come in sections and can be assembled together to increase the size and lift power. Ballast pontoons tanks are flooded with water to submerge or pumped dry to raise the ship.
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most capable navy in the world and it has been estimated that in terms of tonnage of its active battle fleet alone, it is larger than the next 13 navies combined, which includes 11 U.S. allies or partner nations. with the highest combined battle fleet tonnage and the world's largest aircraft carrier fleet, with eleven in service, and two new carriers under construction. With 319,421 personnel on active duty and 99,616 in the Ready Reserve, the Navy is the third largest of the service branches. It has 282 deployable combat vessels and more than 3,700 operational aircraft as of March 2018, making it the second-largest air force in the world, after the United States Air Force.
World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.
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It also shares the name with the Endeavour space shuttle, an orbital space vehicle used by NASA as an active participant in the construction of the International Space Station. Both vessels use the British English spelling of the word, rather than the American English form, in honor of the British HMS Endeavour, the ship of Captain James Cook on his first voyage of discovery (1768–1771). [3]
Space Shuttle Endeavour is a retired orbiter from NASA's Space Shuttle program and the fifth and final operational Shuttle built. It embarked on its first mission, STS-49, in May 1992 and its 25th and final mission, STS-134, in May 2011. STS-134 was expected to be the final mission of the Space Shuttle program, but with the authorization of STS-135, Atlantis became the last shuttle to fly.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.
The International Space Station (ISS) is a space station, or a habitable artificial satellite, in low Earth orbit. Its first component was launched into orbit in 1998, with the first long-term residents arriving in November 2000. It has been inhabited continuously since that date. The last pressurised module was fitted in 2011, and an experimental inflatable space habitat was added in 2016. The station is expected to operate until 2030. Development and assembly of the station continues, with several new elements scheduled for launch in 2019. The ISS is the largest human-made body in low Earth orbit and can often be seen with the naked eye from Earth. The ISS consists of pressurised habitation modules, structural trusses, solar arrays, radiators, docking ports, experiment bays and robotic arms. ISS components have been launched by Russian Proton and Soyuz rockets and American Space Shuttles.
