What is a dry dock? Do they take the ship out of the water? Where does the crew go?

[sixpackeddie]

I dont get dry dock? What does that exactly mean?

[Copper10-8]

A drydock is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Drydocks are used for the construction, maintenance, and repair of ships, boats, and other watercraft.

The classic form of drydock, properly known as graving dock, is a narrow basin, usually made of earthen berms and concrete, closed by gates or by a caisson, into which a vessel may be floated and the water pumped out, leaving the vessel supported on blocks. The keel blocks as well as the bilge block are placed on the floor of the dock in accordance with the "docking plan" of the ship. A distinction needs to be made between drydocks that are intended for ship construction sites, and those that are designed for the maintenance and repair of ships - especially for the repair of battle damage. More routine use of drydocks is for the cleaning (removal of barnacles and rust) and re-painting of ship's hulls.

Once the water is pumped out, the ship can be freely inspected or serviced. When work on the ship is finished, water is allowed to re-enter the dry dock and the ship is carefully refloated

 

HAL's Zaandam in drydock

 

HAL's Oosterdam in drydock in Esquimalt (Victoria), BC with her azipods getting attention

 

Same dock, several months later - Oosterdam's new Azipod having arrived to replace her sick one

[Copper10-8]

Sorry, forgot. The crew stays on board and is kept very busy! These are some of the things they do. These are the things they cannot do in normal operation without disturbing the passengers:

 

1. Clean and renovate all the sun loungers.

2. Deep-clean cabins and public areas.

3. Empty, clean, and re-stock all the minibars.

4. Shampoo all the carpets.

5. Replace worn carpets.

6. Touch up interior paint.

7. Re-paint exterior.

8. Repair the thousands of little things broken in normal operation.

9. Repaint / re-tile Galley floors.

10. Renovate / replace Galley equipment.

11. Install new cables and pipes for new equipment.

12. Clean up all the mess made by the contractors onboard.

13. Feed and care for the 100s or 1000s of contractors living onboard during the dry dock.

14. Wrap every interior area in plastic to avoid damage from contractors.

15. Repair, clean, upgrade crew areas.

16. Stand fire watch.

17. Carry garbage and debris off the ship every hour.

18. Clean and inventory all items in hundreds of storage lockers.

19. Clean, repaint, and repair swimming pools and jacuzzis.

20. Renovate teak decks.

21. Re-upholster, repair and/or replace worn furniture in public rooms and staterooms.

22. Replenish supplies of china, glassware, cutlery, bed linens and towels.

23. Update/replace shipboard computer systems.

24. Repair/upgrade/maintain all shipboard mechanical/propulsion systems.

25. Clean/maintain all ballast tanks.

26. Clean, strip and repaint the hull below the waterline.

[Cruzman]

Perhaps I can explain. The ship is floated into a submerged drydock; water is then pumped out of the drydocks tanks and as it rises out of the water, it also lifts the ship out of the water so that it's hull can be cleaned, re-painted, etc.

[mnport]

I didn't know all that, what a great answer and the pics, thanks.

[fcorey]

John, very well said, and as usually complete with illustration :)

[TMJplus1]

Great pics!

[sixpackeddie]

Wow, now thats a great anwser. Thank you so much for all the detailed information. Your remarks certainly shed some light on my question.

Good job.

Thanks again.

 

Craig

[Bobs cruising]

John, wonderful explanation and pictures on the dry docking process as usual.:D

[CDRMark]

The usual reason for taking a ship out of the water is to do work on some of the below-the-waterline equipment, and through-hull penetrations that divers can't get at easily, or would result in what we sailors refer to as "water on the wrong side". :)

It is amazing these days how much stuff can be done while the ship is wet (even barnacle removal); drydocking a large ship is muy expensive.

Cheers

Mark

[brucory]

Thanks for the great pics...

 

I had no idea the Oosterdam was powered by those "little" azipods..

 

:D:D:D

[Pam in CA]

The usual reason for taking a ship out of the water is to do work on some of the below-the-waterline equipment, and through-hull penetrations that divers can't get at easily, or would result in what we sailors refer to as "water on the wrong side". :)

Whether it's a huge cruise ship or a Boston Whaler, ships and boats need below-the-waterline maintenance. Scraping and repainting the hull both protects the hull and improves speed. Dry dock is also used to repair or maintain mechanical equipment such as engines, propellars, stabilizers, etc. that can't ordinarily be done while the ship or boat is in the water.

[bishop84]

Perhaps I can explain. The ship is floated into a submerged drydock; water is then pumped out of the drydocks tanks and as it rises out of the water, it also lifts the ship out of the water so that it's hull can be cleaned, re-painted, etc.

 

This is the other type of dry dock to that described by Copper. These floating dry docks have one big advantage in that if they are no longer needed at a port they can be towed away to another port. An example of this is the Grand Bahama Dry-docks in Freeport where the dry docks were all previously in use in other ports before being moved there to primarily serve the cruise lines.

[HALleluiah]

How awesome! Thanks for the pics and explanation!

[hammybee]

Incredible pictures, John. Thanks.

[Druke I]

Many of the floating drydocks in use today are US Navy surplus.

 

During WW2, the US Navy made extensive use of floating drydocks in the South Pacific and West Pacific, where battle damage repairs and heavy maintenance could be performed "in the field", rather than sending ships of the fleet back to CONUS (continental United States) for work.

 

Many of the drydocks in the US were involved in building new ships, which were sorely needed for the war effort, so it made sense to be able to repair ships away from the US and not "tie up" valuable drydocks.

[catl331]

Since I've never noticed a rudder on a HAL ship, I presume they now all have the azipods. What was the last HAL ship that used a rudder and fixed-shaft propeller?

[bishop84]

Since I've never noticed a rudder on a HAL ship, I presume they now all have the azipods. What was the last HAL ship that used a rudder and fixed-shaft propeller?

 

HAL have 8 ships with traditional propulsion and steering and 6, 7 if you include the Nieuw Amsterdam, with Azipod drives, I believe the Zaandam was the last HAL ship to be built without Azipods.

 

Traditional

S Class: Statendam, Maasdam, Ryndam, Veendam

R Class: Rotterdam, Volendam, Zaandam

Prinsendam

 

Azipods

R Class: Amsterdam

Vista: Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, Westerdam, Noordam

Signature: Eurodam, Nieuw Amsterdam

[catl331]

HAL have 8 ships with traditional propulsion and steering and ...

Thanks! I guess I just never looked closely enough at the stern of the two we've been on with rudders, the Veendam and the Statendam. Or is the rudder completely submerged anyway?

[sizzle_sisters]

How much would one of those Azipods cost?

I've seen pictures of a ship being overhauled, where everything was thrown out to a common area ie pool (similar to a garbage bin). Would they do this on this type of routine drydock?? Or is this just like a "heavy clean and lube and oil"??

[Copper10-8]

How much would one of those Azipods cost?

I've seen pictures of a ship being overhauled, where everything was thrown out to a common area ie pool (similar to a garbage bin). Would they do this on this type of routine drydock?? Or is this just like a "heavy clean and lube and oil"??

 

HAL's Azipods on their six (seven by next year) ships that the honorable Bishop mentioned are manufactured in Finland by the Swiss-headquartered ABB (Asea Brown Boveri) Group. Don't know their individual cost but I think it's pretty safe to say that those bad boys do not come cheap!;)

[Copper10-8]

.............Or is the rudder completely submerged anyway?

 

Yes, unless on a day like this:

[Druke I]

The ABB azipods seem to be much more reliable than the Rolls Royce pods, which have had many breakdowns (thrust bearings).

 

The picture of Balmoral posted just above is one of several taken when she was in a Force 9 gale, 50 foot waves, in the Bay of Biscay.

 

We were on her when she was still the Crown Odyssey, flagship of Royal Cruise Line, in a Force 8 Gale in the mid-Atlantic, 8-90. A little bumpy that trip, but much smoother than one trip on her older sister, the Golden Odyssey (a 10,000 tonner), in the China Sea, between Hong Kong and Manila, 11-86, trying to outrun the back end of a typhoon.

 

We had green water over the bridge, screws out of the water, and the inclinometer was pegged several times. It was rough!

[Typhoon1]

Has a chance to chat with one of the young crew members on the Zuiderdam last year before it headed into dry dock.

 

He said he would be busy ripping out old carpeting during the dry dock. Not the most glamorous of jobs, but the crew probably works harder then they do during a cruise.

 

As usual, great job John. Thanks for sharing the spectacular pictures.

[Philip217]

How much would one of those Azipods cost?

I've seen pictures of a ship being overhauled, where everything was thrown out to a common area ie pool (similar to a garbage bin). Would they do this on this type of routine drydock?? Or is this just like a "heavy clean and lube and oil"??

 

When the Oosterdam had to replace a faulty azipod a few years ago, the price tag for the new pod was US$ 14 Million.