NORFOLK, Va. — The Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center’s Floating Dry-Dock Dynamic crew recently passes a material inspection certifying the dock as materially ready and safe for continued use.
For the past 75 years, Dynamic has served as an auxiliary floating dry dock, capable of lifting ships out of the water for inspections and repairs. The dock was delivered to the U.S. Navy on March 11, 1944, and with the exception of the USS Constitution, is the oldest active vessel in the fleet.
To prepare the dry dock for inspection, the vessel underwent a seven-month maintenance availability that included ultrasonic testing, tank inspections, and equipment preservations and repairs. Although Port Operations at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story provided barge and crane support, the overhaul was successfully completed in house by Dynamic’s 28 Sailors and Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center’s Quality Assurance and Production teams.
“This is work typically done by an outside maintenance activity in the shipyards,” said Lt. Cmdr. Seth Hall, Dynamic commanding officer. “We were able to use our own resources at MARMC to get this done.”
Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center is a field activity of the Naval Sea Systems Command and provides critical intermediate-level maintenance and fleet technical assistance for surface ships, including the maintenance and operations of the dry dock Dynamic. Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center also provides oversight for all private-sector maintenance to surface ships in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States.
“If you think about it, many of the sailors that served aboard her 75 years ago were young 18-year-olds just coming into the Navy; they would be 93-year-olds today," Hall said. "Those Sailors and all those who served after are the reason this vessel remains operational today."
