USS New Orleans To Be First to Use BAE Systems' New Dry Dock

The "Pride of California" is the largest floating dry dock in the state

The "Pride of California," a new, floating dry dock unveiled by BAE Systems Ship Repair in Barrio Logan last week will be put to use for the first time Thursday.

USS New Orleans (LPD 18), the San Diego-based amphibious transport dock ship, will be the first to dock at the 950-foot floating repair facility. The ship is scheduled to begin docking at 7 p.m. Thursday, with the process expected to take about five hours, BAE Systems said.

The new dry dock is located at the foot of Sampson Street, near Barrio Logan, and is capable of lifting 55,000 tons. It is the largest floating dry dock in California, according to BAE Systems.

“There’s a lot of excitement that goes into a docking,” said BAE Systems Representative Karl Johnson. “With this being the first time using this dock, it just adds that much more excitement to the docking. It really is a neat thing to see a ship come on of the water. There’s a science to it, and there’s only a few people qualified in the United States to do this kind of thing.”

The maintenance and repairs to USS New Orleans will include work on the ship’s exterior and tanks, its crew living quarters, ship ventilation, and its propulsion and auxiliary systems, according to the BAE Systems contract issued this past November.

The repairs are expected to total up to $36 million, but additional repairs could bring the value of the military-contracted deal up to $51.6 million, according to BAE Systems.

Repairs to USS New Orleans began last month but the repairs at the dry dock will last until around July. The ship will then be put back into the water for the remainder of the repair work, Johnson said.

Work is expected to conclude in March 2018.

BAE Systems’ smaller floating dry dock, “Pride of San Diego,” is currently repairing the guided missile destroyer USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60). The combination of the two floating dry docks has drastically increased BAE’s ship repair capacity, said BAE Systems.

Pride of California is capable of dry docking all naval vessels with the exception of air craft carriers and expeditionary staging base ships, said Johnson. He said the reason is because carriers do not fit under the Coronado Bridge, and staging ships displace too much water.

Pride of California was built in Qingdao, China, and towed to San Diego in December. It’s naming and dedication was held on Feb. 11.

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