Sneak Peek - 1/700 Floating Dry Dock - USS Los Alamos AFDB-7

[NukeMM]

I am working with Loose Cannon Productions on this new resin kit project. It is close enough to being completed in order to give a sneak peek of it but, not so complete that a release date can be announced yet. Most of the resin parts are ready however, the photo-etched brass parts have yet to be drawn up and etched.

The USS Los Alamos served for thirty years at the submarine support facility in Holy Loch, Scotland. The configuration portrayed in this kit is that of 1987-1992.

The USS Lafayette Class SSBN is by OKB Grigorov.

[braxat2000]

It is awesome!!!

[NukeMM]

[JasonW]

Carl, it is shaping up to be a masterpiece.

When did they retire her? Late 90's?

[bismarck builder]

hi
all we need now is a 350 version & maybe a 200 scale as well
gary r

[NukeMM]

Carl, it is shaping up to be a masterpiece.

When did they retire her? Late 90's?

Thanks, Jason!

It was inactivated in 1991, left Holy Loch in 1992 and decommissioned in 1994.

It is now a six-section dry dock and is in Brownsville, Texas.

[PetrolGator]

HEY... I know that rig!

Do you know when that picture was taken? I see two jackups under construction....


Sorry for the hijack. I'm partial to oilfield equipment.

[D-Boy]

Very diverse history, from fabrication in different shipyards to Mare Island use to transport across the Atlantic to sections used to support nuclear testing in the Pacific.

USS Los Alamos (AFDB-7)

(via Wikipedia)

Career

Name: USS Los Alamos
Builder: Chicago Bridge & Iron Company (4 sections)
Pollock Stockton Shipbuilding Co. (2 sections)
Pittsburgh Des Moines Steel Co. (1 section)
Commissioned: 1 March 1945
Decommissioned: 5 December 1994
Reclassified: AFDB-7 (Large Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock), 10 November 1961
Struck: 5 December 1994
Fate: Section "F" sunk as a target 19 July 2001
Remaining sections transferred to Brownsville, Tx 11 August 1995
Status: Sections "A", "B", "C", "D", "E" and "G" all active, Brownsville, Tx

General characteristics

Type: Advance Base Sectional Drydock
Displacement: 30,800 long tons (31,294 t)
Length: 825 ft 3 in (251.54 m)
Beam: 246 ft 5 in (75.11 m)
Draft: 8 ft 8 in (2.64 m)
Propulsion: None
Complement: 187
Armament: 14 � 40 mm guns
14 � 20 mm guns

ABSD-7, an advanced base sectional dock,[1] was constructed of seven advance base docks (ABD) as follows: ABD-37, ABD-38, ABD-39, and ABD-40 were built by Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, Morgan City, Louisiana, and completed in December 1944 and January and February 1945; ABD-51 and ABD-52 were built by Pollock Stockton Shipbuilding Co., Stockton, California, and completed in January and March 1945; and ABD-58 was built by Pittsburgh Des Moines Steel Co., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and completed in October 1944.

Mare Island

The seven advance base docks were towed to Mare Island Navy Yard where they were erected and assembled into ABSD-7. Completed in March 1945, the advance base section dock began duty at Mare Island, she served there until placed on the inactive list in March 1946. In August 1946 she was reclassified to auxiliary floating drydock AFDB-7. Disassembled and towed to the east coast, she entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Green Cove Springs, Florida in January 1947.

Holy Loch

Early in 1961, four sections�"A", "B", "C", and "D"�of AFDB?7 were towed across the Atlantic Ocean to Holy Loch, Scotland, where on 3 March 1961 the Navy established an important base for fleet ballistic submarines. A detachment of Seabees from MCB-4 erected and assembled the four sections. Completed 10 November, the auxiliary floating drydock was placed in service as USS Los Alamos (AFDB-7).

Assigned to SUBRON 14, Los Alamos began drydock service for the FBM boats.

Converted for use by submarines, she had the following characteristics:
Displacement: 18,795 long tons (19,097 t)
Length: 513 ft (156 m)
Draft: 9 ft 3 in (2.82 m) light, 67 ft 4 in (20.52 m) submerged
Complement: 143
Armament: none

Late in 1961 she carried out her first SSBN drydocking of USS George Washington (SSBN-598). She then served submarines of the "Highland Squadron" at Holy Loch. She supported refit and repair operations by submarine tenders Proteus, Hunley, Holland, Simon Lake, and Canopus. In February 1964 she successfully completed the first "off center" docking of a Polaris submarine. By providing keel blocks preset for two separate classes of SSBN boats, Los Alamos "added immeasurably to the site�s repair flexibility."

On 18 June 1966, section "F" was turned over to the U.S. Army, where it was converted into a floating power plant at Kwajalein named Andrew J Weber (BD-6235). On 1 October 1977, Andrew J Weber was returned to the U.S. Navy and reinstated on the Naval Vessel Register as YFP-14. Stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 29 May 1991, YFP-14 remained at Guam and was designated to be used in a Sinkex on 18 June 1998. YFP-14 was sunk 250 nmi (460 km; 290 mi) southeast of Agana, Guam on 19 July 2001.[2][3] The Naval Vessel Register's entry for YFP-14 incorrectly indicates the vessel was sunk on 18 June 1998, that was the date the vessel was designated to be sunk.[citation needed]

On 5 December 1994 Los Alamos was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register. Disassembled into sections and returned to the United States, the remaining six original ABSD-7 sections ("A", "B", "C", "D", "E" and "G") were transferred to the Brownsville Navigation District, Texas on 11 August 1995. Currently in use as Solomon Ortiz Dry Dock at Keppel AmFELS Shipyard, Brownsville, Texas.[4]

[NukeMM]

HEY... I know that rig!

Do you know when that picture was taken? I see two jackups under construction....


Sorry for the hijack. I'm partial to oilfield equipment.

Chris,

The photo / page is dated 2007 on this web page.......

http://www.pbase.com/image/121090954

[NukeMM]

Very diverse history, from fabrication in different shipyards to Mare Island use to transport across the Atlantic to sections used to support nuclear testing in the Pacific.

Wonderful contribution, here, D-Boy! Thanks!

[davidwaples]

Great subject piece Carl and David! Looking forward to seeing it come together.
Dave

[Heavy Melder]

Yep, 1/350 full hull and I'd be in for one for sure.

[chargerman]

Any update on this project?

[NukeMM]

Thanks for the BUMP, Chargerman!

I am currently test fitting and bending the test sample of PE and making any necessary changes to the drawings and I should be ordering the final etching, next week. I'll be ordering the decals then, too.

[D-Boy]

Love! Nothing more to say. Such a wonderful excuse for a full-hull build.

[davidwaples]

Great stuff Carl! Are you bringing this to the Nats? Would love to see her.
Dave

[paullee]

I served on board from '92 and helped decommission Holy Loch. Flew back a year later to take radiation samples below it all and on shore.

My mum is Scottish and met my father here. She also met my step-father here. Both serving in the US Navy. I myself joined the US Navy and my second tour was Holy Loch.

I worked in R-5 which was the rad-con department. When the FDD submerged and boat pulled in, I would sit in a dive boat and have divers take paint samples just outside the sub's discharge port. I was also nervous for the divers who had to make sure the blocks were set right when the FDD started to rise and lift the subs.

There were a lot of stories about "accidental" deaths from the FDD. When the FDD was raised, the height was dizzying and a few sailors died from the fall.

[Peter O]

Do you have an update on this? It looks super!

Peter

[NukeMM]

Do you have an update on this? It looks super!

Peter

I'm happy that you're interested in this, Peter.

The current status of this kit is:

1. Photo-Etched Brass is in final stage of editing the drawings and will be submitted for etching this month.

2. Decals are about to be ordered for printing.

3. Upon receipt of the decals and PE, the instructions will be created.

4. Some smaller resin parts still need to be created; in particular, ventilation and diesel generator intake and exhaust vents.

I am now looking at early 2015 for availability.

[Rui Matos]

Hi Carl

Any chance on pre-ordering? Or reserve?


Cheers
Rui