USS Adept

USS Adept (AFD-23) was a AFDL-1-class small auxiliary dry dock of the United States Navy Auxiliary floating drydock built for World War II.^[1]

USS Adept (AFD-23)
History
United States
Name	Adept
Namesake	Adept
Builder	George D. Auchter Co.
Laid down	1943
Completed	December 1944
Recommissioned	December 1965
Reclassified	AFDL-23, 1946
Identification	Callsign: NPCM Hull number: AFD-23
Honors & awards	See Awards
Fate	Leased to Gulf Copper & Manufacturing Corp.
Status	Operational in Port Arthur, Texas
General characteristics
Class & type	AFDL-1-class floating drydock
Displacement	12,000 t (11,810 long tons)
Length	288 ft (87.8 m)
Beam	64 ft (19.5 m)
Draft	45 ft (13.7 m)
Capacity	1,900 t (1,870 long tons)

Construction and career

The construction of one-section, steel, floating Drydock built at Jacksonville, Florida by George D. Auchter Co. and had begun late in 1943 and completed in December 1944. The small, non-self-propelled auxiliary floating drydock was then towed to the Chesapeake Bay for duty at the United States Coast Guard base at Curtis Bay, Baltimore., where she began docking small naval combatant ships—up to the size of destroyer escorts—for hull repairs.^[2]

Redesignated AFDL-23 on 1 August 1946, she was moved to Hawaii in the 18 months immediately following the end of the war. By 1 January 1947, AFDL-23 was laid up with the Pacific Reserve Fleet at Pearl Harbor.

After almost two decades of inactivity, AFDL-23 was placed in service in December 1965 to support the Navy's efforts in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. She served at the Pacific Fleet's advanced bases. While continuing such duty, AFDL-23 was named Adept on 7 June 1979.

On 24 February 1992, USS Brunswick (ATS-3) towed Adept out of Subic Bay for Guam.^[3] In the fall of 2004, USS Osprey (MHC-51) made another visit to Adept at Gulf Copper Ship Repair, Aransas Pass, from 1 until 5 October.^[4] In 2019, she began her upgrade in Dock 4.^[5]

• 
  USS Brunswick towing Adept on 24 February 1992
• 
  Other side of the towing

Awards

• American Campaign Medal
• Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal
• World War II Victory Medal
• National Defense Service Medal