A new dry dock to be installed for BAE Systems Ship Repair, a San Diego shipyard, will be the largest floating dry dock in California.
At 950 feet long, the dry dock is capable of lifting 55,000 long tons, according to a BAE Systems official. The shipyard is located on one of the U.S. Navy's mega-ports in the San Diego Bay, adjacent to the U.S. Naval Station.
BAE Systems officials say the dry dock will help maintain the growing U.S. Navy fleet in San Diego, such as the new U.S.S. Zumwalt which just arrived back at its homeport.
The dry dock arrived overnight and was placed at a temporary anchorage point close to Harbor Island and the U.S.S. Midway carrier museum, according to BAE Systems.
At about 11 a.m. Thursday morning, the dry dock was towed from its temporary storage area. According to BAE Systems, it took about two hours to move the dry dock past the city's waterfront skyline and underneath the San Diego-Coronado bridge.
BAE Systems provides ships with repair and maintenance services, along with modernization, conversion and overhaul for the Navy, said a BAE Systems official. About 2,000 workers staff the full-service shipyard.
