USS Oak Ridge

Last updated

OAKRIDGE CGY.jpg
Oak Ridge at Coast Guard Yard, Baltimore, Maryland
History
US flag 48 stars.svgUnited States
NameUSS ARD-19
Builder
Laid down1943
Commissioned22 March 1944
Decommissioned30 September 1949
Recommissioned1 October 1963
RenamedUSS Oak Ridge
ReclassifiedARDM-1
Namesake Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Decommissioned10 August 2001
Stricken26 November 2001
FateTransferred to the United States Coast Guard, 8 February 2002
History
Flag of the United States.svgUnited States
Acquired8 February 2002
Homeport
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type ARD-12-class floating dry dock
Displacement6,800 tons
Length491 ft 8 in (149.86 m)
Beam81 ft (24.7 m)
PropulsionNone
Armament
General characteristics (as refit 1963)
Class and type ARDM-1-class
Displacement7,390 long tons
Length536 ft 1 in (163.40 m)

USS Oak Ridge (ARD-19/ARDM-1) was originally a United States Navy Auxiliary floating drydock suitable for dry docking destroyers, submarines and landing craft, built by the Pacific Bridge Company. In the early 1960s she was upgraded to support Los Angeles-class submarines, and re-classified as ARDM-1-class. A stern door and enclosed bow design allows for open ocean transits. The dock is non-propelled and therefore must be taken under tow to operational areas of the fleet. A steering mechanism with twin rudders is installed to facilitate this operation. Sufficient electrical power was provided by four diesel-driven generator sets to maintain all normal and operational requirements. Living, berthing, and mess facilities are provided for the dock's complement of 5 officers, 10 CPO's and a crew of 186.

Contents

Oak Ridge was towed, in stages across the Pacific. While in transit she was used as a van to help move the service squadron forward and at the end of August 1944 arrived at Seeadler Harbor carrying a YTL, 2 pontoon crane barges, and 20 LCMs and LCVPs. From Manus ServRon 10 provided the logistic support for the Palau offensive, then moved itself forward to Naval Base Ulithi and Naval Base Kossol Roads. The Leyte landings soon followed and the repair facilities were moved up to San Pedro Bay.

On 27 November 1944 ARD-19 was moored in that bay with USS Ross (DD-563) in dock undergoing repairs. Shortly before noon the Japanese launched an air attack. A "Tojo" fighter crashed into the drydock, passed through the starboard wingwall of the dock, and caused gasoline fed flames to encompass the dock basin deck, searing Ross as they spread. As the fire was being contained another Japanese fighter commenced a strafing run, but was splashed by gunfire from the ARD, Ross, and LST-556. Heavy damage kept the ARD busy on self-repairs for only a brief time. She soon resumed her drydocking and repair role, and continued that service, at Subic Bay, Luzon, until after the end of World War II.

In 1948, ARD-19 was towed back across the Pacific and on 29 October she reported for duty with the Pacific Reserve Fleet at Long Beach. For the next six months she operated under that command and ServRon 1, carrying district craft to various berthing areas on the west coast. In March 1949 she carried YFN–599 to Puget Sound, took on cranes and got underway, in tow, for the Panama Canal Zone. From the Canal Zone she continued on to Orange, Texas, with more district craft in her dock basin. Arriving 10 June, she continued her ferry service until decommissioned and assigned to the Texas Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet for berthing, 30 September 1949.

Thirteen years later, September 1962, ARD-19 was brought out of reserve and taken to Jacksonville, Florida, where she was converted by the Gibbs Shipyards to support forward deployed Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) submarines. Her length increased to 536'1" and a maximum ballasted displacement to 9,700 tons, she became the first mobile single unit capable of such docking. She was then named, redesignated, and recommissioned as Oak Ridge (ARDM-1), 1 October 1963. Further changes, such as the replacement of two 10-ton cranes with two 25-ton cranes, kept her at Norfolk until 4 June 1964 when she was taken under tow by USS Atakapa (ATF-149) to begin the long journey to her homeport of Rota, Spain. With USS Mahoa (YTM-519) in her dock basin, she arrived at Rota 22 days later and commenced providing the services, to Polaris-equipped submarines and others as required attached to SUBRON 16 until June 1979.

Her last station in the Navy was at Naval Submarine Base New London, Connecticut. Oak Ridge was decommissioned on 10 August 2001, stricken from the Naval register on 26 November 2001, and transferred to the United States Coast Guard on 8 February 2002; categorized as a moveable piece of docking equipment and recorded as General Purpose Property. From March 2011 to November 2013, Oak Ridge underwent an extensive Service Life Extension Project (SLEP), which included replacement of more than 2,000 square feet of steel plating and 3,200 linear feet of longitudinal stiffeners, in addition to installation of a new firemain system, new transit-ways for shore services, upgraded remote valve and pump controls to the ballast system, internal emergency dewatering equipment, interior communications, closed circuit TV system and structural improvements to the stern door.

As of 8 August 2018, after a long service history. USS Oak Ridge was being offered for sale to the highest bidder by the General Services Administration. [3] It was purchased for $1.396 million by East Coast Repair and Fabrication, a ship repair facility in Norfolk, Virginia. [4]

List of ARDM-1 class ships

Awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard</span> United States Navy shipyard in Hawaii

The Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility is a United States Navy shipyard located in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 148 acres. It is one of just four public shipyards operated by the United States Navy. The shipyard is physically a part of Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam.

USS <i>Atakapa</i> Tugboat of the United States Navy

USS Atakapa (ATF-149) was an Achomawi class of fleet ocean tug. It was named after the Atakapa Native American tribe that once inhabited territory which is now southwestern Louisiana and southeastern Texas.

USS <i>Artisan</i>

USS Artisan (ABSD-1), later redesignated as (AFDB-1), was a ten-section, non-self-propelled, large auxiliary floating drydock of the United States Navy. The only U.S. warship with this name, Artisan was constructed in sections during 1942 and 1943 by the Everett-Pacific Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, in Everett, Washington; the Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, in Eureka, California; the Pollock-Stockton Shipbuilding Company, in Stockton, California; and the Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, in Morgan City, Louisiana. This ship was commissioned at Everett, Washington, on 10 May 1943, Captain Andrew R. Mack in command. With all ten sections joined, she was 927 feet long, 28 feet tall, and with an inside clear width of 133 feet 7 inches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Service Squadron</span> Unit of the US Navy

A Service Squadron (ServRon) was a United States Navy squadron that supported fleet combat ships and US Navy Auxiliary ships. Service Squadrons were used by the US Navy from their inception in 1943 to as late as the early 1980s. At the time of their inception during the Second World War they allowed the US Navy to operate across the vast reaches of the Pacific Ocean for extended periods of time. Service Squadrons created temporary forward bases to allow the naval squadrons to spend less time in transit and more time in the area of combat. Ulithi, a small volcanic atoll in the central Pacific, is an example of a site converted for use as a forward base of supply. Service Squadrons essentially created a major naval base near the area of operation. With naval bases like, Naval Base Ulithi, to refit, repair and resupply, many ships were able to deploy and operate in the western Pacific for a year or more without returning to a major port facility. Among the vessels operating in service squadrons were tankers, Fleet oilers, refrigerator ships, ammunition ships, supply ships, floating docks and repair ships. They provided diesel, ordnance, aviation fuel, food stuffs and all other supplies. Equally important at places like Ulithi were the portable piers and floating dry docks which allowed many ships damaged by enemy action or Pacific storms to undergo repair without having to travel the thousands of miles back to a major US naval base. Ulithi was as far forward from the US naval base at San Francisco as the San Francisco base was from London, England. To have a fully functional major port in the middle of the Pacific was a significant aid to U.S. Navy operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auxiliary repair dock</span> Floating drydock

An auxiliary repair dock (ARD) is a type of floating drydock employed by the U.S. Navy, especially during World War II. The Navy commissioned 33 ARD vessels: ARD-1 through ARD-33. ARDs were self-sustaining in World War II. ARDs have a rudder to help in tow moving, making ARDs very mobile, and have a bow to cut through waves. ARDs have a stern 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, in Alameda, California.

USS <i>White Sands</i>

USS White Sands (ARD-20), ex-USS ARD-20, ex-USS ARD(BS)-20, later AGDS-1, was a United States Navy auxiliary repair dock in service from 1944 to 1947 and from 1966 to 1974 and an Auxiliary floating drydock.

USS <i>Alamogordo</i>

Alamogordo (ARDM-2) — a non-self-propelled United States Navy Auxiliary floating drydock completed in 1944 at Oakland, California, by the Pacific Bridge Company as ARD-26 — was commissioned on 15 June 1944. The floating dry dock completed outfitting at Oakland and training at Tiburon, CA, between mid-June and late August. On 3 September, she was taken in tow for the voyage west. En route to the Marianas, the dry dock made layovers of ten and seven days respectively at Pearl Harbor and Eniwetok. She arrived at Guam on 24 October and reported for duty with Service Squadron 11 (ServRon 11). Not long thereafter, however, she was assigned temporarily to ServRon 10.

USS <i>Endurance</i> (ARDM-3)

USS Endurance (ARDM-3) was originally laid down as ARD-18, a non self-propelled United States Navy Auxiliary floating drydock in 1944. Built by the Pacific Bridge Company in Alameda, California. During World War II USS ARD-18 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and serviced ships at Guadalcanal, Ulithi, and Leyte-Samar Naval Base. After the war, floating dry dock ARD-18 was sent to Norfolk Shipbuilding and Drydock Corp.'s yard, circa 1967-68 and was lengthened by adding a 100 ft (30 m) midsection as well as an additional deck above the uppermost crane deck. Redesignated Medium Auxiliary Repair Dry Dock Endurance (ARDM-3), she served until retirement in 1995.

USS <i>Arco</i> (ARD-29)

USS ARD-29 was an auxiliary repair dock that served with the United States Navy during World War II as an Auxiliary floating drydock. In 1967, the ship was renamed Arco, and in the 1970s the vessel was first loaned, and later sold, to Iran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Historic District</span> Historic district in Washington, United States

Puget Sound Naval Shipyard is a large military-industrial complex located in Bremerton, Washington along the north shore of Sinclair Inlet, which opens to Puget Sound. This large shipyard is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) in length along the shore and over a half-mile in width at its greatest distance across. The shipyard has nearly 1,000 facilities such as shipfitters shops, repair shops, drydocks, piers, cranes, crane rails, railways, and tunnels. In addition to the industrial facilities, supporting structures include: residences for officers and enlisted personnel, recreation facilities, boiler, electrical substations, fuel tanks, medical facilities, and canteens. The historic district is just over a tenth of the entire shipyard, 189 acres of the shipyard's 1,347 acres. Its greatest significance was during the Second World War when it repaired large warships damaged in the Pacific theater. It was designated a National Historic Landmark District in 1992.

USS <i>Waterford</i>

USS Waterford (ARD-5) was an Auxiliary floating drydock that served in the United States Navy during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Persian Gulf War. She later served the Chilean Navy as Talcahuano (133).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auxiliary floating drydock</span> Type of United States Navy drydocks

An auxiliary floating drydock is a type of US Navy auxiliary 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, raising the ship out of the water. The ship becomes blocked on the deck of the floating dry dock for repair. Most floating dry docks have no engine and are towed by tugboats to their destinations. Floating dry docks come in different sizes to accommodate varying ship sizes, while large floating dry docks come in sections and can be combined to increase their size and lift power. Ballast pontoon tanks are flooded with water to submerge or pumped dry to raise the ship.

USS <i>AFDM-2</i> Large auxiliary floating drydock of the US Navy

USS AFDM-2,, is an AFDM-3-class medium auxiliary floating drydock built in Mobile, Alabama by the Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company for the U.S. Navy. Originally named USS YFD-4, Yard Floating Dock-4, she operated by Todd Shipyards at New Orleans, Louisiana for the repair of US ships during World War II. YFD-4 was renamed an Auxiliary Floating Dock Medium AFDM-2 in 1945 after the war.

USS <i>AFDB-2</i> Large auxiliary floating drydock of the US Navy

USS ABSD-2, later redesignated as AFDB-2, was a ten-section, non-self-propelled, large auxiliary floating drydock of the US Navy. Advance Base Sectional Dock-2 was constructed in sections during 1942 and 1943 by the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California for World War II. Her official commissioning ceremony took place on 14 August 1943 with CDR. Joseph J. Rochefort in command. With all ten sections joined, she was 927 feet long, 28 feet tall, and with an inside clear width of 133 feet 7 inches. ABSD-2 had a traveling 15-ton capacity crane with an 85-foot radius and two or more support barges. The two side walls were folded down under tow to reduce wind resistance and lower the center of gravity. ABSD-2 had 6 capstans for pulling, each rated at 24,000 lbf (110,000 N) at 30 ft/min (0.15 m/s), 4 of the capstans were reversible. There were also 12 ballast compartments in each section.

USS <i>ABSD-6</i> WWII American floating drydock

ABSD-6 is an advanced base sectional dock which was constructed of nine advance base docks (ABD) sections for the US Navy as an auxiliary floating drydock for World War II. ABSD-6 was built by Mare Island Naval Shipyard at Vallejo, California. ABSD-6 was commissioned on 28 September 1944. Advance Base Sectional Dock-6 was constructed in sections during 1942 and 1943. Each section are 3,850 tons and are 93 feet long each. Each Section had a 165 feet beam, a 75 feet molded depth and had 10,000 tons lifting capacity each. There were 4 ballast compartments in each section. With all nine sections joined, she was 825 feet long, 28 feet tall, and with an inside clear width of 133 feet 7 inches. ABSD-2 had a traveling 15-ton capacity crane with an 85-foot radius and two or more support barges. The two side walls were folded down under tow to reduce wind resistance and lower the center of gravity. ABSD-6 had 6 capstans for pulling, each rated at 24,000 lbf (110,000 N) at 30 ft/min (0.15 m/s), 4 of the capstans were reversible.

USS <i>ABSD-4</i> Large auxiliary floating drydock of the US Navy

USS ABSD-4, later redesignated as AFDB-4, was a nine-section, non-self-propelled, large auxiliary floating drydock of the US Navy. Advance Base Sectional Dock-4 was constructed in sections during 1942 and 1943 by the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California for World War II. With all ten sections joined, she was 927 feet long, 28 feet tall, and with an inside clear width of 133 feet 7 inches. ABSD-4 had a traveling 15-ton capacity crane with an 85-foot radius and two or more support barges. The two side walls were folded down under tow to reduce wind resistance and lower the center of gravity. ABSD-4 had 6 capstans for pulling, each rated at 24,000 lbf (110,000 N) at 30 ft/min (0.15 m/s), 4 of the capstans were reversible. There were also 4 ballast compartments in each section.

USS <i>ABSD-5</i> WWII American floating drydock

USS ABSD-5, later redesignated as AFDB-5, was a nine-section, non-self-propelled, large auxiliary floating drydock of the US Navy. Advance Base Sectional Dock-5 was constructed in sections during 1943 and 1944 by the Chicago Bridge & Iron Company in Morgan City, Louisiana for World War II. With all nine sections joined, she was 825 feet long, 28 feet tall, and with an inside clear width of 133 feet 7 inches. ABSD-5 had two traveling 15-ton capacity crane with an 85-foot radius and two or more support barges. The two side walls were folded down under tow to reduce wind resistance and lower the center of gravity. ABSD-5 had 6 capstans for pulling, each rated at 24,000 lbf (110,000 N) at 30 ft/min (0.15 m/s), 4 of the capstans were reversible. There were also 4 ballast compartments in each section.

USS <i>ARD-1</i> WWII American auxiliary repair dock

USS ARD-1 was an auxiliary repair dock serving with the United States Navy during World War II as Auxiliary floating drydock. ARD-1 was built by the Pacific Bridge Company and completed in September 1934. ARD-1 was commissioned at Alameda, California on 19 December 1935 then towed to San Diego, California. ARD-1 was the first in her class of self-sustaining, ship hull shape ship repair docks. ARD-1 was able to repair ships in a Naval fleet in remote locations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Bridge Company</span> Former American engineering and construction company

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Advance Base Espiritu Santo</span> Major World War 2 base

Naval Advance Base Espiritu Santo or Naval Base Espiritu Santo, most often just called Espiritu Santo, was a major advance Naval base that the U.S. Navy Seabees built during World War II to support the Allied effort in the Pacific. The base was located on the island of Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides, now Vanuatu, in the South Pacific. The base also supported the U.S. Army and Army Air Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, and US Marine Corps. It was the first large advance base built in the Pacific. By the end of the war it had become the second-largest base in the theater. To keep ships tactically available there was a demand for bases that could repair and resupply the fleet at advance locations, rather than return them to the United States. Prior to December 7th, Pearl Harbor was the U.S. fleet's largest advance base in the Pacific. Espiritu became capable of all aspects necessary to support the Fleet's operations from fleet logistics in fuel, food, and ammunition, to transport embarkation for combat operations or returning to the continental United States. The ship repair facilities and drydocks were capable of attending to most damage and routine maintenance. Had it not existed, ships would have had to return to Pearl Harbor, Brisbane, or Sydney for major repairs and resupply. The base became a major R and R destination for the fleet.

References

  1. "Pacific Bridge Company, Alameda CA, WWII Construction Record". Colton Company. Retrieved 30 November 2007.
  2. "The United States Coast Guard Yard: 108 Years of "Service to the Fleet"". United States Coast Guard. 26 June 2007. Retrieved 30 November 2007.
  3. Coast Guard Yard Dry - dock Facilities and Industrial Equipment June 10, 2015 Report to Congress
  4. USCG Yard Curtis Bay "Yard News" VOLUME 67 NUMBER 05 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018
  5. "ARDM-1". nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  6. "ARDM-2". nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  7. "ARDM-3". nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  8. "ARDM-4". nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  9. "ARDM-5". nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 14 February 2018.