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. A floating drydock is a type of pontoon for dry docking ships, possessing floodable buyoncyychambers and a "U" shaped cross-section. The walls are used to give the drydock stability when the floor is below the water level. When valves are opened the chambers are filled with water, the dry dock floats lower in the water, allowing a ship to be moved into position inside. When the water is pumped out of the chambers, the drydock rises and the deck is cleared of water, allowing work to proceed on the ship's hull.
Shipyards operate floating drydocks, among other means of hauling or docking vessels. The advantage of floating drydocks is that they can be moved all over the world and also can be sold second-hand. During world war 11 the us nave used such (floating) drydocks extensively to provide maintenance in remote locations. One of these, the 850-foot afdb-3 saw action in Guam, was mothballed near Norfolkvirgina, and was eventually towed to,Portland Maine, to become part of bat iron work' repair facilities.
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