Dry dock under way

August 26, 2022 4:22 pm • Last Updated: August 26, 2022 5:29 pm

By Sean D. Elliot
Director of Photography

The DonJon Marine Co. tugs Atlantic Enterprise and Donald J. tow the U.S. Navy Auxiliary Repair Dry Dock - Medium (ARDM-4) Shippingport through the Thames River Railroad Bridge Friday, August 26, 2022. The 5,400-ton floating dry dock is bound for Norfolk, Virginia for a scheduled overhaul expected to take less than a year according to Navy spokesman Lt. Seth Koenig. This is the Shippingport’s first off-site overhaul since 2012 when it was upgraded to support lifting of Virginia-class submarines. Shippingport’s most recent lift was for maintenance on the Historic Ship Nautilus. The dry dock has been in service in Groton since 1979. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)
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The DonJon Marine Co. tugs Atlantic Enterprise and Donald J. tow the U.S. Navy Auxiliary Repair Dry Dock - Medium (ARDM-4) Shippingport down the Thames River Friday, August 26, 2022. The 5,400-ton floating dry dock is bound for Norfolk, Virginia for a scheduled overhaul expected to take less than a year according to Navy spokesman Lt. Seth Koenig. This is the Shippingport’s first off-site overhaul since 2012 when it was upgraded to support lifting of Virginia-class submarines. Shippingport’s most recent lift was for maintenance on the Historic Ship Nautilus. The dry dock has been in service in Groton since 1979. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)
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The DonJon Marine Co. tugs Atlantic Enterprise and Donald J. tow the U.S. Navy Auxiliary Repair Dry Dock - Medium (ARDM-4) Shippingport down the Thames River Friday, August 26, 2022. The 5,,400-ton floating dry dock is bound for Norfolk, Virginia for a scheduled overhaul expected to take less than a year according to Navy spokesman Lt. Seth Koenig. This is the Shippingport’s first off-site overhaul since 2012 when it was upgraded to support lifting of Virginia-class submarines. Shippingport’s most recent lift was for maintenance on the Historic Ship Nautilus. The dry dock has been in service in Groton since 1979. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)
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A crew person on board the U.S. Navy Auxiliary Repair Dry Dock - Medium (ARDM-4) Shippingport keeps watch from one of the wing walls as the DonJon Marine Co. tugs Atlantic Enterprise and Donald J. tow it down the Thames River Friday, August 26, 2022. The 5,400-ton floating dry dock is bound for Norfolk, Virginia for a scheduled overhaul expected to take less than a year according to Navy spokesman Lt. Seth Koenig. This is the Shippingport’s first off-site overhaul since 2012 when it was upgraded to support lifting of Virginia-class submarines. Shippingport’s most recent lift was for maintenance on the Historic Ship Nautilus. The dry dock has been in service in Groton since 1979. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)
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Groton―Guided by tugboats a U.S. Navy floating dry dock departed the Naval Submarine Base on Friday bound for an even larger dry dock in Norfolk, Virginia for scheduled overhaul work.

The $32,222,891 million overhaul is expected to take six-months.

The ARDM-4 Shippingport, one of only two medium auxillary repair dry docks in the Navy, has been in service at the submarine base since 1979.

This is the first off-site overhaul work for the 5,400-ton floating dry dock since 2012 when it was upgraded to support lifting of Virginia-class submarines according to Navy spokesman Lt. Seth Koenig.

Shippingport’s most recent lift was for maintenance on the Historic Ship Nautilus.

The journey is expected to take five days.

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