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Show REED TALMAGE JOHN ON PT MB R 2, 2004 inche . Empty, it displacement was 38,500 tons. Its draught empty wa 9 feet but it wa ballasted down to as much as 78 feet to admit ships to the well deck. Its lifting capacity was 90,000 tons and it carried a complement of 690 officers and men. (Mr. Johnson stated off-tape that his sleeping quarters were in his section.) ABSD-1 served in the New Hebrides until mid-April of 1945 at which time her crew received orders to disassemble it and move it forward to the big base at Leyte Gulf in the Philippines. ABSD-1 was completely disassembled by the beginning of June and on 30 June, the first six sections began the voyage under tow, via Hollandia, New Guinea, to Leyte. The remaining four sections departed on 7 July. The first echelon arrived at Manicani Bay, Samar Island, on 27 July, andre- assembly began three days later. On 2 August, the rest of the drydock entered Manic ani Bay and, by mid-September, all ten sections had been joined together. The floating drydock resumed its repair work soon thereafter, and it continued through February of 1946. ABSD-1 was decommissioned on 31 May 1946. She remained in the Philippines through the summer andfall of 1946. During that time, in August 1946, it was reclassified as a large auxiliary floating drydock and was redesignated AFDB-1. Over the years, AFDB-1 and its individual sections have been repeatedly activated and deactivated. It served during the wars in Korea and Vietnam. Its current status is listed as follows: Sections A,G,H and !were soldfor scrap 1 March 1987. Sections Band E were laid up at NISMF, Pearl Harbor, 1 March 1987. Section F was disposed of as a target, 1 March 1987. Section C was redesignated IX-525, 2 March 1998 and remains in active service. Section D was redesignated IX-521, 16 August 1996, and remains in active service at NISMF Pearl Harbor, HI ] It was number one. It was a prototype. 11 |
