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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

AFDB-4
ex
 USS ABSD-4 Sections, A through G

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Whiskey - Alpha - Alpha
 NWAA
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from left to right
American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal
AFDB-4 Class Large Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock:
  • Laid down, date unknown, as ABSD-4 at Navy Yard, Mare Island, Vallejo, CA.
  • Delivered, date unknown
  • During World War II ABSD-4 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater
  • Commissioned USS ABSD-4, 30 March 1944, LCDR. Beeman, Dean H., USNR, in command and placed in service at Seeadler Harbor, Manus Island, Admiralty Islands, circa 1944
  • Decommissioned, 1 May 1946
  • Reclassified AFDB-4, date unknown
  • Placed in service at Long Beach Naval Shipyard, date unknown
  • Placed out of service, dates unknown
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 15 April 1989
  • Final Disposition, sunk on a reef at Manus Island Papua-New Guinea
    Specifications:
    Displacement 30,800 t.(lt)
    Length 825'
    Beam 246' 5"
    Draft 8' 8" (lt), 67' 4" (subm. max.)
    Complement 187
    Armament
    fourteen single 40mm AA gun mounts
    fourteen single 20mm AA gun mounts
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Source/ Contributed
    By
    ABSD-4 131k The battleship New York (BB-34) docked in ABSD-4 at Marus, Admiralty Islands, circa February-March 1945. Photo by Joseph Zayak (Vinny), former PFC, USMC, courtesy of his son Joseph Zayak.
    AFDL-12 57k Small Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock AFDL-12 dry docked in ABSD-4 at Manus, Admiralty Islands, 26 November 1945 Paul Harig EM1/c USN USS AFD-12
    2681k YD-171 at Long Beach Naval Shipyard lifting what appears to be a section of superstructure, into AFDB-4 circa 1953. Larry Gauthier
    There is no DANFS History available for ABSD-4 / AFDB-4 at NavSource.
    Commanding Officers
    01LCDR. Beeman, Dean H., USNR30 March 1944 - 30 March 1944
    02CDR. Karns, Arthur Lee, USN30 March 1944 - 15 March 1945
    03LCDR. Beeman, Dean H., USNR15 March 1945 - 5 May 1945
    04CDR. Karns, USNR5 May 1945 - 20 September 1945
    05CDR. Rancich, Christ A., USNR20 September 1945 - 1 May 1946
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Service Ship Type Index Back To The Dry Dock Photo Index
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 20 June 2014