Monday, August 1, 2011



the sunken AFDB-1 "Big Blue" is SYMBOLIC Of the kind of serious economic and political challenges Guam faces.

One Man's Loss is Another Man's Opportunity.



in the very near future, we will again be put to a test,
are we in our old fighting form?
do we still have that can do spirit?
does subic bay still has the world's best welders?

we realize that most of the original tigers are working overseas and many who are still here are past their productive age. there is therefore a need to train for a new breed of ship repair workers.


Both TESDA and LGU does not have the funds to sponsor this type of program.
Our constituents can't afford the cost of such training and
no school our area is offering a ship repair course.

SOLUTION: Dual-Training System (RA 7696)

in a meeting with TESDA week,


dewey drydock 1905, 1905-1942

http://www.navsource.org/archives/14/0701.htm


Yard Floating Drydock:
  • Laid down in early-1905 by Maryland Steel Co., at Sparrow Point, MD.
  • Launched, 10 June 1905
  • Dewey's first lift was on Friday 23 June 1905 when she test lifted the armored cruiser USS Colorado (ACR-7)
  • Dewey's second test lift was the battleship USS Iowa (BB-4).
  • Commissioned USS Dewey (Drydock # 1), date unknown
  • USS Dewey was under tow from 28 December 1905 to 9 July 1906 enroute from Virginia to Olongapo, Luzon, Philippine Islands by USS Caesar (Collier # 16), USS Brutus (Collier # 15), USS Glacier (Stores Ship # 4) and Potomac (Fleet Tug # 50)
  • Reclassified YFD-1 in the Navy's fleet-wide assignment of alphanumeric hull numbers, 17 July 1920
  • At the outbreak of World War II USS Dewey was at Naval Station Subic Bay
  • To prevent the drydock from falling into enemy hands she was towed to Mariveles harbor on the tip of the Bataan Peninsula and there she was scuttled, 8 April 1942 by her docking officer LT. C.J. Weschler
  • Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the ... In order to avoid capture
  • Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown
  • Final Disposition, sunk, 8 April 1942, raised by the Japanese and sunk again by US Forces
  • USS Dewey earned one battle star for World War II service
    Specifications:
    Displacement 18,500 t.
    Length 501 ¾'
    Beam 100'
    Draft 6 ½' (empty)
    Complement unknown
    Armament unknown

    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image
    SizeImage DescriptionSource
    Dewey766kUSS Dewey (Dry Dock # 1) during test lift of the battleship USS Iowa (BB-4), 23 June 1905, in the Patuxent River MD.
    Post card - Maker; Polychrome A-7642, Published by The American News Company New York, Leigzig, Dresden. Printed in Germany. No copyright. Postmarked, 3 January-1912, aboard USS Potomac (Fleet Tug # 50), probably at Norfolk Navy Yard.
    Bruce D. Liddel
    Dewey102kArtwork by F. Muller, depicting the floating drydock USS Dewey (Dry Dock # 1) during her voyage from the United States to the Philippines, under tow by USS Caesar (Collier # 16), USS Brutus (Collier # 15), USS Glacier (Stores Ship # 4) and USS Potomac(Fleet Tug # 50), in 1906.
    US photo # NH 54498 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
    US Naval Historical Center
    Dewey99kArtwork by F. Muller, depicting the floating drydock USS Dewey (Dry Dock # 1) during her voyage from the United States to the Philippines, under tow by USS Caesar (Collier # 16), USS Brutus (Collier # 15), USS Glacier (Stores Ship # 4) and USS Potomac(Fleet Tug # 50), in 1906.
    US photo # NH 54499 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
    US Naval Historical Center
    Dewey68kFloating Drydock USS Dewey (Dry Dock # 1) at Olongapo, Philippine Islands, circa 1 to 4 April 1907 with USS Maryland (Armored Cruiser # 3) in the dock.
    US Navy photo # NH 50360 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center, courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1967.
    US Naval Historical Center
    Shark115kFloating Drydock Dewey (Dry Dock # 1) at Olongapo Naval Station, Philippine Islands, circa 1910, with USS Shark (Submarine # 8) in the dock. The gunboat USS Elcano(Gunboat # 38) is also in the drydock, in the right background.
    US Naval Historical Center photo # NH 86963 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center
    US Naval Historical Center
    Chauncey115kFloating Drydock USS Dewey (Dry Dock # 1) at Olongapo Naval Station, Philippine Islands, circa 1910, with USS Chauncey (Destroyer # 3) in the dock.
    US Navy photo # NH 73124 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center, donation of Mr. F.M. Deats, 1963
    US Naval Historical Center
    Chauncey81kFloating Drydock USS Dewey (Dry Dock # 1) at Olongapo Naval Station, Philippine Islands, circa 1910, with a stern view of USS Chauncey (Destroyer # 3) in the dock.
    US Navy photo # NH 73125 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center
    Paul Rebold
    Moccasin122kFloating Drydock USS Dewey (Dry Dock # 1) at Olongapo Naval Station, Philippine Islands, circa 1912 with Submarines
    USS A-6 (Submarine # 7) ex-Porpoise ,
    USS A-4 (Submarine #5) ex-Moccasin and
    USS A-2 (Submarine #3) ex-Adder
    in the dock, circa 1912. The bow of their tender, USS Mohican, is at left, with an anchor suspended from her starboard cathead.
    US Navy photo # NH 90185 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center
    US Naval Historical Center
    Mohican87kFloating Drydock USS Dewey (Dry Dock # 1) at Olongapo Naval Station, Philippine Islands, circa 1912 with Submarines
    USS A-6 (Submarine # 7) ex-Porpoise ,
    USS A-4 (Submarine # 5) ex-Moccasin and
    USS A-2 (Submarine # 3) ex-Adder
    in the dock, circa 1912, with their tender, USS Mohican.
    US Navy photo # NH 90181 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center
    US Naval Historical Center
    Galveston63kFloating Drydock USS Dewey at Olongapo Naval Station, Philippine Islands, circa 1916 with USS Galveston (Cruiser # 17) in the dock.
    US Navy photo # NH 69717, courtesy of Arthur B. Furnas, 1969.
    US Naval Historical Center
    Milwaukee87kUSS Milwaukee (CL-5) Sailors working on the ship's propellers, while she was drydocked in USS Dewey (YFD-1) at Naval Station Olongapo, Philippine Islands, 25 February 1929.
    US Navy photo # NH 64618, donation of Franklin Moran, 1967.
    US Naval Historical Center
    S-30-35128kThe Floating Drydock USS Dewey (YFD-1) with USS Pittsburgh (CA-4) in the dock is in the background at Naval Station Olongapo, Philippine Islands in March 1929. Submarine crewmen pose with a 4"/50 deck gun on board an "S-Type" submarine. The submarines are probably;
    USS S-30 (SS-135) and
    USS S-31 (SS-136).
    Behind them are (from front to rear);
    USS S-35 (SS-140)
    ,
    USS S-33 (SS-138)
    ,
    USS S-32 (SS-137)
    , and
    USS S-34 (SS-139).
    Photographed from USS Beaver (AS-5).
    US Navy photo # NH 51830
    US Naval Historical Center
    Augusta68kFloating Drydock USS Dewey (YFD-1) at Olongapo Naval Station, Philippine Islands, 29 January 1936 with USS Augusta (CA-31) in the dock.
    US Navy photo # NH # 78379 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
    US Naval Historical Center
    Jason112kUSS Jason (AV-2) dry docked in USS Dewey (YFD-1) at Naval Station Olongapo, Philippine Islands, 9 March 1932. USS Canopus (AS-9) is in the upper right, with four submarines moored alongside. The outboard submarine is USS S-38 (SS-143).
    US National Archives photo # 80-CF-22672-1 a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.
    US Naval Historical Center
    Jason73kUSS Jason (AV-2) drydocked in USS Dewey (YFD-1), at Naval Station Olongapo, Philippine Islands, 8 March 1932.
    US National Archives photo # 80-CF-22672-3 a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.
    US Naval Historical Cente
  • dewey drydock 1906






    From 28 December 1905 - 9 July 1906 she underwent the greatest sea-towing feat of it's day. It took four ships to tow the Dewey Dry-dock 12,000 miles from the U.S. East coast across the Atlantic, into the Mediterranean Sea, through the Suez Canal, Red Sea and into the Indian Ocean and ending the journey at Olongapo, Luzon, Philippines.

    original subic drydock
    http://freepages.military.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cacunithistories/Dewey_Drydock.html









    1942 start of construction in five different shipyards around USA. the construction was top secret like the making of atomic bomb. it was the original "transformer" and "voltes 5" design as we know it today.
    1943 commisioned


    1951 towed from pearl to guam
    1952 operational in guam


    http://abitabout.com/Philippine+Navy

    http://chinamarine.org/Philippines.aspx

    AFDL-21




    AFDL-21 Class Small Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock:
  • Laid down by George D. Auchter Co., Jacksonville, FL.
  • Commissioned AFD-21, date unknown
  • Redesignated AFDL-21, 1 August 1946
  • Decommissioned, date unknown
  • Transferred to the Philippines navy in 1961, redesignated YD-204
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 31 March 1989
  • Sold to Malayan Towage and Salvage Corp.. SALVTUG, 16 March 1990, in service at Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines

  • Specifications:
    Displacement 12,000 t.
    Length 200'
    Beam 64'
    Inside width 45'
    Draft 3' 3" (lt), 31' 4" (flooded)
    Lifting capacity 1,000 tons

    subicdock

    Photo taken in November, 2010 from aboard c.s. Cable Retriever, berthed at Rivera Point, SBMA
    SUBICDOCK
    SUBIC DRYDOCK CORPORATION



    ADDRESS:


    TEL NO:
    FAX NO:

    Bldg. 17 Gridley cor. Schley Roads
    SRF Compound,Subic Bay Freeport Zone
    2222 Philippines
    (047) 252-8183 to 85 & 89
    (047) 252-8201

    Floating drydock back at Subic Freeport


    June 04, 2007
    By Malou Dungog

    http://biz.balita.ph/html/article.php?story=20070604132851315

    Fifteen years after the floating dry dock was towed out of Subic Bay as part of the 1992 US base withdrawal, the sophisticated equipment has been returned here as this premier Freeport zone is now back in ship repair business.

    Subic Drydock, a subsidiary of prominent U.S.-based ship repair service provider Cabras Marine Corporation, announced the arrival of AFDM-5 floating dry dock on Saturday which would revive the operations of the defunct Ship Repair Facilities (SRF) here.

    Cabras is a private firm which has been considered as the leading ship repair service provider of tug-boats, salvage vessels, and waterfront maintenance for the US Navy and commercial vessels in Guam and Micronesia for over 30 years.

    Shutdown in 1992 after the historic withdrawal of US Naval troops and facilities, the floating dry docks (AFDM-5) was towed to Hawaii, displacing thousands of highly-skilled direct Filipino ship repair employees and indirect workers.

    Cabras, through its sister company, Malayan Towage and Salvage Corp. (MTSC) was able to purchase the AFDM-5 to the State-government of Guam after the US Armed Forces donated the sophisticated ship repair machinery after it was decommissioned supposedly for lack of operational and technical manpower that "belongs to former Filipino base workers."

    In October 2005, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Feliciano G. Salonga and administrator Armand C. Arreza signed a long-term lease contract with Subic Drydock Corporation President and CEO Catalino Bondoc for the setting up of a P275 million ship repair facilities.

    Salonga said that the return of the floating dry dock would open job opportunities, particularly to those highly skilled US base workers who were trained and used to be employed with the SRF during US Navy days.

    Shortly after the contract signing, Bondoc clarified that while the floating docks were strictly utilized for military purpose, it will now be servicing commercial clienteles for ships like inter-island sized vessels and ferries.

    He added that Subic Dry Dock would also be offering ship repair service to Philippine Navy ships and other Navy vessels of countries within the Asia-Pacific region.

    Bondoc also disclosed that international shipping market will be the primary target client of the project, particularly vessels operating in the Asian Region. These vessels are represented by international shipping agents composed mostly of customers of Malayan group of companies.

    Subic Dry Dock will also be eyeing service contracts with 88 domestic shipping companies operating 315 domestic vessels.

    Subic Dry Dock will also process to secure the Master Ship Repair Agreement (MSRA) and be accredited for US Navy ship repair contracts that require dry docking and repair services particularly from the Military Sealift Command based in Yokohama, Japan .

    "Initially, we will be hiring 150 workers which will be made up of former SRF workers who will also be in-charge as trainers to new breed and young ship repair workers," Subic Dock Project Director Gerald Hammond said.

    The project will be employing 600 skilled and semi-skilled workers composed mostly of those who used to be stationed in the SRF area for their familiarity on the dock and at the same time train apprentices.

    The company's total capital expenditure of P276 million will be used to acquire the dry docks amounting to P165 million while the remaining amount of P110 million would be allocated for the improvement berthing and other port facilities of the Bravo pier inside the SRF compound such as the administrative office building, machine shop and warehouse.

    The AFDM-5 floating dry dock is a wielded structural steel, capable of accommodating ships of 18,000 tons displacement with length-span of up to 150 meters.

    Subic Freeport bested other port areas that the company explored for the setting-up of its ship repair facility project such as the Sarangani Bay in General Santos and Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam .

    The ship repair facility is expected to be completed and operational in two months after the arrival of another dry dock to support its operations and upgrade handling capabilities that will surely bring new hope and bright future to former SRF workers. (PNA)

    Subic floating drydock capable of servicing 18,000 tonner ships


    Floating dry dock a boost to Subic ship-repair industry

    By Henry EmpeƱo , manila standard, Dec 12, 2007


    SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—Fifteen years after it was towed out of Subic Bay during the withdrawal of the US Navy, the Auxiliary Floating Drydock Medium 5 (AFDM-5) is now happily bringing back the glory days of Subic’s ship-repair industry.

    Long regarded as a familiar fixture at Subic’s Ship Repair Facility until 1992, the AFDM-5 is now back to its old home at Bravo Pier here—a bulky, seemingly ungainly hulk of machinery that, despite the passage of years, is helping Subic gain new fame as a center for maritime commerce.

    The AFDM-5 is essentially a marine garage where vessels can be brought in for repairs or maintenance.

    But this special garage—which can be submerged under a marine vessel, then raised to lift the vessel out of the water—is now again the shining star at Bravo Pier, where the newly formed Subic Drydock Corp. (Subicdock) has established, in the last six months, a thriving ship-repair operation.

    Subicdock general manager Gerald “Gerry” James Hammond, a former US Navy officer, said that since the AFDM-5 was brought back to Subic in June, it has already serviced 18 vessels—an average of three ship-repair projects each month.

    “We have already serviced many ships, including our own tugboats and barges,” said Hammond, who got his first assignment in the US Navy as dock personnel in 1976 and served onboard for 13 years.

    “Right now we got the superferry Westpac Express out from Guam,” Hammond said proudly, referring to the high-speed vessel used by the US Marines’ Military Sealift Command (MSC). “We got a lot of float repairs, but this is really the first US float we got since we opened up.”

    With the AFDM-5’s capacity to take in ships weighing up to 18,000 tons and spanning up to 150 meters, Subicdock’s P275-million ship-repair venture here is turning out to be a highly viable investment, said Subicdock president Catalino Bondoc.

    “It took us a lot of money to bring the dry dock in here, but we are happy because it is now clear in our mind what we are planning to do with this facility,” he added.

    It was Bondoc, who, as chief executive officer of Malayan Towage and Salvage Corp., brought the AFDM-5 back to Subic in June after proposing the ship-repair facility project to the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).

    Brought to Guam in 1992 when the US Navy departed from Subic, the AFDM-5 first served in the repair of small- and medium-sized vessels of the US Marine’s MSC, as well as commercial ships.

    Thereafter, it was sold to Cabras Marine Corp., a private ship-repair company based in Guam and Micronesia.

    In 1999 Cabras awarded the AFDM-5 to its subsidiary Malayan Towage, the largest towage and salvage company in the Philippines, reportedly for P165 million. Malayan, thereafter, towed the floating dry dock to Manila and put in place additional equipment, including a 100-ton-capacity floating crane.

    In June 2007, to the delight of some 50 former Subic dry-dock workers, AFDM-5 arrived at Bravo Pier to regain its title as the centerpiece of Subic’s ship-repair industry.

    Since then, the AFDM-5 had shown “exceptional performance” in the hands of its veteran crew, said James Edge, director of the Asian Navigation Ltd., a customer of Subicdock.

    “The shipyard has been working the whole hours to ensure that the deadlines are met, and the jobs are delivered on time. So, instead of going somewhere else, vessels now go to Subic for repairs,” said Edge, who also said that Subicdock’s newfound reputation for reliability is spreading in the maritime industry.

    The good news about Subicdock must have also reached businessmen who knew a winner when they see one. According to Bondoc, some Japanese and Indonesian businessmen have lately offered $7 million for the AFDM-5, but he turned down the proposals.

    “We know that ship repair is a viable operation here in Subic, and there are lots of services we can do for the shipping industry in this area. There is a lot more that we can do here in Subic than what we can do with the $7 million,” Bondoc said.

    Because of the AFDM-5, Bondoc said that Subicdock is now able to compete with ship-repair facilities in the United States—like Guam, for example, which has an AFDB, or Auxiliary Floating Drydock Big.

    Bondoc said Subicdock’s competitiveness stems from Subic’s free- port status, which allows the firm to bring in machinery and materials tax-free, as well as Subic’s pool of skilled manpower that is relatively cheaper than those in other countries.

    “We are really in for a long term here in Subic because of this edge, which is very cost-effective for us and our customers,” he added.

    Bondoc also said that while Subicdock is gearing to provide ship-repair services, it is also considering a long-term plan for boat assembly in partnership with European watercraft designers and builders.

    “We could have a technical tie-up wherein they could bring parts for, say, tugboats and we will assemble them. Our prospective partners could also use Subic as a base to sell or export our products,” he said.