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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

IX-522 (D) / IX-524 (F) / IX-535 (H)
ex
AFDB-2 (1946 - 1990)
USS ABSD-2 (1944 - 1946)
(Sections, A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - India - Golf - Zulu NIGZ

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal - National Defense Service Medal

AFDB-1 Class Large Auxiliary (10-section, non-self-propelled) Floating Dry Dock:

Constructed in sections at Mare Island Navy, Vallejo, CA. during 1943 and 1944

Delivered to the Navy in April 1944

Commissioned, USS ABSD-2, 14 August 1943, CDR Joseph J. Rochefort, USN, in command

During World War II USS ABSD-2 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater

USS ABSD-2 was towed in sections to Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides and assembled for operation at Manus, Admiralty Islands during World War II

Decommissioned, 28 February 1946

Redesigned AFDB-2 in August 1946

Final/Current Disposition

Sections A and G, sold for scrapping, 13 July 1990
Section B, disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise, 13 July 1990
Section C, disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise, 13 July 1990
Section D, reclassified Unclassified Miscellaneous IX-522, 16 August 1996
Current Disposition, NAVSEA Inactive Ships On-Site Maintenance Office, Pearl Harbor, HI.
Section F, reclassified Unclassified Miscellaneous IX-524, 19 July 1990
Current Disposition, Pacific Missile Range, Facility, Kekaha, HI.
Sections E and I, sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for reuse/conversion, 13 July 1990
Section H, reclassified Unclassified Miscellaneous IX-535, 10 October 2002
Current Disposition, NAVSEA Inactive Ships On-Site Maintenance Office, Pearl Harbor, HI
Section J, disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise, 13 July 1990

Specifications:
Displacement 38,500 t.(lt) (10 sections)
Length 927' (10 sections)
Beam 256'
Draft 9' (light), 78' (flooded)
Height 28' (keel to welldeck)
Inside Width 133' 7"
Lifting Capacity 90,000 tons
Complement 690

Specifications: IX-522, IX-524 and IX-535
Displacement 3,500 t.
Length 280'
Beam 80'
Draft 9' (light)

Size	Image Description	Source/ Contributed By
114k	USS ABSD-2 at Manus, 12 October 1944 with *USS Mississippi* (BB-41)** drydocked. As the dry-docks were displacement limited, as to their capacity, fuel and sometimes ammunition had to be offloaded to "lighten ship". In this instance, 700,000 gallons of fuel had to be offloaded in order to meet the lifting capacity of the dry-dock. US Navy photo.	Chuck Haberlein.
268k	A painting by the artist Wayne Scarpaci entitled "South Pacific Advanced Base" depicting *USS Mississippi* (BB-41)** in floating drydock USS ABSD-2, 1944. Next to her is *USS Delta* (AR-9)**.	Drawing courtesy of artbywayne.com.
153k	*USS Killen* (DD-593), at left, USS Canberra (CA-70), right, and USS Claxton (DD-571), beyond Canberra*'s bow undergoing battle damage repairs in floating drydock USS ABSD-2* at Manus, Admiralty Islands, 2 December 1944. Note men crowding the rails on *Canberra, and her two forward 8"/55 triple gun turrets. US National Archives photo # 80-G-304096* a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.	Fred Weiss
129k	*USS Claxton* (DD-571), at left, USS Canberra (CA-70), right, and USS Killen (DD-593)** undergoing battle damage repairs in floating drydock USS ABSD-2 at Manus, Admiralty Islands, 2 December 1944. US National Archives photo # 80-G-304088 a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.	US Naval Historical Center
81k	USS ABSD-2 at Manus, Admiralty Islands with *USS Iowa* (BB-61) entering the floating dry dock before the battleship returned to San Francisco for an early 1945 refit. The Iowa** also was the only one of her class that was camouflaged, as seen in these photos. The lifting capacity of the floating dry-docks is dramatically shown, but battleships had to have their ammunition and most of their fuel off-loaded before entering the dry-dock.	US Navy photo
90k	*USS Iowa* (BB-61)** in floating dry dock USS ABSD-2 at Manus, Admiralty Islands.	US Navy photo
314k	USS ABSD-2 at Manus, Admiralty Islands, date unknown. US Navy photo from the collections of the US Navy Memorial.	Stan Svec

There is no DANFS history record available for USS ABSD-2 / AFDB-2 at NavSource

Commanding Officers
01	CDR. Rochefort, Joseph John, USN	14 August 1943 - 25 June 1944
02	CAPT. Richardson, George Victor, USNR	25 June 1944 - 1 April 1945
03	CDR. Lawrence, William Raymond, USNR	1 April 1945 - 24 December 1945
04	CDR. Lee, Joseph Epps, USNR	24 December 1945 - 28 February 1946


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 20 June 2014

NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

IX-522 (D) / IX-524 (F) / IX-535 (H)ex AFDB-2 (1946 - 1990) USS ABSD-2 (1944 - 1946)(Sections, A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,)

IX-522 (D) / IX-524 (F) / IX-535 (H)
ex
AFDB-2 (1946 - 1990)
USS ABSD-2 (1944 - 1946)
(Sections, A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,)