The contract requires Austal’s repair and services team to replace the vessel’s main service diesel generator. The project involves complex work below the waterline that requires the ship to be removed from the water.
Austal said using the dry dock rather than completing the work pierside would improve efficiency and help return USS Oakland to the fleet more quickly. The company said the approach would also support delivery of the ship in peak operating condition.
Keeping the work in San Diego allows the ship’s crew to remain at its home port near family members. It also keeps USS Oakland close to the Navy maintenance personnel overseeing work in the region.
“Now we have the capability to provide full-service dry-dock support for extended, year-long repairs,” said Austal USA President Gene Miller. “An additional dry dock in San Diego gives the Navy greater capacity to complete complex maintenance projects and emergent repairs in a dedicated dry-dock facility.”
“This is exactly the type of work we built this facility for, and we look forward to demonstrating the exceptional quality and efficiency that our customers have come to expect from Austal USA,” Miller said. The award expands Austal’s role in ship repair beyond work that can be performed alongside a pier.
The floating dry dock has a lifting capacity of 9,000 light tons and measures 531 feet long by 154 feet wide. It has a maximum draft of 36 feet and wingwalls measuring 13.12 feet wide.
Cranes installed on the dry dock provide a combined lifting capacity of 16 metric tons. The facility gives Austal the capacity to support complex maintenance projects and extended dry-dock repairs at its San Diego waterfront site.
