Large Floating Dry Docks (AFDB)

The large auxiliary floating dry docks - designated AFDB - were engineering marvels capable of lifting 55,000 to 90,000 tons, enough to drydock battleships and aircraft carriers at forward bases thousands of miles from the nearest shipyard. Built in sections, these massive docks were towed individually across the Pacific and reassembled at advanced anchorages like Manus Island and Ulithi. AFDB-1 Artisan, the largest, could lift anything in the fleet. AFDB-7 Los Alamos later served at Holy Loch, Scotland, maintaining Polaris ballistic missile submarines throughout the Cold War.