Massive Dry Dock Arrives in San Diego

SAN DIEGO -- The largest floating dry dock in California is now calling San Diego home after arriving at a local shipyard Dec. 9.

The 950-foot-long, 55,000-lifting-ton floating dry dock was delivered to BAE Systems Ship Repair in Barrio Logan as part of BAE's $100 million investment in the shipyard to service the anticipated increase of U.S. Navy ships on the West Coast.

``We have made the strategic investment to meet the ship repair needs of the Navy,'' said Joe Campbell, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems Ship Repair. ``With two large dry docks now in our shipyard, we'll enhance the San Diego industrial base's ability to repair warships in their home port, providing the key maintenance and modernization work needed for the ships' continued service to our nation and the stability for the ships'crews.''

The floating dry dock was towed by the ocean-going and salvage tug Posh Terasea Eagle to the BAE shipyard. Over the next two months, the BAE Systems team plans to complete final assembly, installation, testing and certification of the dry dock, which is expected to be operational in early 2017.

The first ship to be serviced in the dry dock will be the San Diego-based amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans.

By City News Service/Image via Patch