View source for USS Oak Ridge

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin
}}
{{Infobox ship image

| Ship image = [[Image:OAKRIDGE CGY.jpg|300px|USS Oak Ridge (ARDM-1)]]
| Ship caption = ''Oak Ridge'' at Coast Guard Yard, Baltimore, Maryland
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Ship country = United States
| Ship flag = {{USN flag|1944}}
| Ship name = USS ''ARD-19''
| Ship builder = *[[Pacific Bridge Company]]
*[[Alameda, California]]<ref name=colton>{{cite web | url = http://www.coltoncompany.com/shipbldg/ussbldrs/wwii/merchantshipbuilders/pacificbridge.htm | title = Pacific Bridge Company, Alameda CA, WWII Construction Record | publisher = Colton Company | access-date = 2007-11-30 }}</ref>
| Ship laid down = 1943
| Ship commissioned = 22 March 1944
| Ship decommissioned = 30 September 1949
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = yes
| Ship recommissioned = 1 October 1963
| Ship renamed = USS ''Oak Ridge''
| Ship reclassified = ARDM-1
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = yes
| Ship namesake = [[Oak Ridge National Laboratory]]
| Ship decommissioned = 10 August 2001
| Ship struck = 26 November 2001
| Ship fate = Transferred to the [[United States Coast Guard]], 8 February 2002
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Ship country = United States
| Ship flag = {{USN flag|2001}}
| Ship acquired = 8 February 2002
| Ship homeport = *[[United States Coast Guard Yard]]
*[[Curtis Bay, Baltimore]], Maryland<ref name=CG1>{{cite web | url = http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg4/yard/history.asp | title = The United States Coast Guard Yard: 108 Years of "Service to the Fleet" | publisher = [[United States Coast Guard]] | date = 2007-06-26 | access-date = 2007-11-30 }}</ref>
*{{coord|39.1970|-76.5707|display=inline}}
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption = (as built)
| Ship class = {{sclass|ARD-12|floating dry dock}}
| Ship tonnage = 
| Ship displacement = 6,800 tons
| Ship length = {{convert|491|ft|8|in|m|abbr=on}}
| Ship beam = {{convert|81|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}
| Ship propulsion = None
| Ship armament = *2 × [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm]] [[Anti-aircraft warfare|AA]] guns
*2 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20&nbsp;mm]] AA guns
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption = (as refit 1963)
| Ship class = {{sclass|ARDM-1|floating dry dock|0}}
| Ship tonnage = 
| Ship displacement = 7,390 long tons
| Ship length = {{convert|536|ft|1|in|m|abbr=on}}
| Ship ballasted draft = {{convert|33|ft|3|in|m|abbr=on}}
}}
|}
'''USS ''Oak Ridge'' (ARD-19/ARDM-1)''' was originally a [[United States Navy]] [[Auxiliary floating drydock]] suitable for [[dry docking]] [[destroyers]], [[submarines]] and [[landing craft]], built by the [[Pacific Bridge Company]]. In the early 1960s she was upgraded to support [[Los Angeles-class submarine]]s, and re-classified as {{sclass|ARDM-1|floating dry dock|0}}. A stern door and enclosed bow design allows for open ocean transits. The dock is non-propelled and therefore must be taken under tow to operational areas of the fleet. A steering mechanism with twin rudders is installed to facilitate this operation. Sufficient electrical power was provided by four diesel-driven generator sets to maintain all normal and operational requirements. Living, berthing, and mess facilities are provided for the dock's complement of 5 officers, 10 CPO's and a crew of 186.

Oak Ridge was towed, in stages across the [[Pacific]]. While in transit she was used as a van to help move the service squadron forward and at the end of August 1944 arrived at [[Seeadler Harbor]] carrying a YTL, 2 pontoon crane barges, and 20 [[LCM (2)|LCMs]] and [[Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel|LCVPs]]. From [[Manus Island|Manus]] ServRon 10 provided the logistic support for the [[Palau]] offensive, then moved itself forward to [[Naval Base Ulithi]] and [[Naval Base Kossol Roads]]. The [[Battle of Leyte|Leyte]] landings soon followed and the repair facilities were moved up to [[San Pedro Bay (Philippines)|San Pedro Bay]].

On 27 November 1944 '''ARD-19''' was moored in that bay with [[USS Ross (DD-563)|USS ''Ross'' (DD-563)]] in dock undergoing repairs. Shortly before noon the [[Japan]]ese launched an air attack. A "Tojo" fighter crashed into the drydock, passed through the starboard wingwall of the dock, and caused gasoline fed flames to encompass the dock basin deck, searing ''Ross'' as they spread. As the fire was being contained another Japanese fighter commenced a strafing run, but was splashed by gunfire from the ARD, ''Ross'', and {{USS|LST-556||2}}. Heavy damage kept the ARD busy on self-repairs for only a brief time. She soon resumed her drydocking and repair role, and continued that service, at [[Subic Bay]], [[Luzon]], until after the end of World War II.

In 1948, ''ARD-19'' was towed back across the Pacific and on 29 October she reported for duty with the Pacific Reserve Fleet at [[Long Beach Naval Shipyard|Long Beach]]. For the next six months she operated under that command and ServRon 1, carrying district craft to various berthing areas on the west coast. In March 1949 she carried YFN–599 to [[Puget Sound]], took on cranes and got underway, in tow, for the [[Panama Canal Zone]]. From the Canal Zone she continued on to [[Orange, Texas]], with more district craft in her dock basin. Arriving 10 June, she continued her ferry service until decommissioned and assigned to the Texas Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet for berthing, 30 September 1949.

Thirteen years later, September 1962, ''ARD-19'' was brought out of reserve and taken to [[Jacksonville, Florida]], where she was converted by the Gibbs Shipyards to support forward deployed Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) submarines.  Her length increased to 536'1" and a maximum ballasted displacement to 9,700 tons, she became the first mobile single unit capable of such docking. She was then named, redesignated, and recommissioned as ''Oak Ridge (ARDM-1)'', 1 October 1963. Further changes, such as the replacement of two 10-ton cranes with two 25-ton cranes, kept her at [[Norfolk Naval Shipyard|Norfolk]] until 4 June 1964 when she was taken under tow by [[USS Atakapa|USS Atakapa (ATF-149]]) to begin the long journey to her homeport of [[Rota, Spain]]. With {{USS|Mahoa|YTM-519}} in her dock basin, she arrived at Rota 22 days later and commenced providing the services, to [[UGM-27 Polaris|Polaris-equipped]] submarines and others as required attached to SUBRON 16 until June 1979.

Her last station in the Navy was at [[Naval Submarine Base New London]], Connecticut. ''Oak Ridge'' was decommissioned on 10 August 2001, stricken from the Naval register on 26 November 2001, and transferred to the [[United States Coast Guard]] on 8 February 2002; categorized as a moveable piece of docking equipment and recorded as General Purpose Property. From March 2011 to November 2013, ''Oak Ridge'' underwent an extensive Service Life Extension Project (SLEP), which included replacement of more than 2,000 square feet of steel plating and 3,200 linear feet of longitudinal stiffeners, in addition to installation of a new firemain system, new transit-ways for shore services, upgraded remote valve and pump controls to the ballast system, internal emergency dewatering equipment, interior communications, closed circuit TV system and structural improvements to the stern door.

As of 8 August 2018, after a long service history. USS Oak Ridge was being offered for sale to the highest bidder by the General Services Administration.<ref>[https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/OCFO/United%20States%20Coast%20Guard%20%28USCG%29%20-%20Coast%20Guard%20Yard%20Dry-dock%20Facilities%20and%20Industrial%20Equipment.pdf Coast Guard Yard Dry - dock Facilities and Industrial Equipment June 10, 2015 Report to Congress]</ref> It was purchased for $1.396 million by East Coast Repair and Fabrication, a ship repair facility in Norfolk, Virginia.<ref>[https://www.dcms.uscg.mil/portals/10/CG-4/documents/SFLC/YardNews/Sep-Oct2018.pdf USCG Yard Curtis Bay "Yard News" VOLUME 67 NUMBER 05 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018]</ref>

==List of ARDM-1 class ships==
{{see also|Auxiliary Repair Docks}}
{|class="wikitable sortable nowraplinks"
|-
!Ship name
!Hull no.
!Status
!Note
|-
|USS ''Oak Ridge''
|ARDM-1
|disposed
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nvr.navy.mil/SHIPDETAILS/SHIPSDETAIL_ARDM_1_51.HTML|title=ARDM-1|publisher=nvr.navy.mil|access-date=14 February 2018}}</ref>
|-
|{{USS|Alamogordo|ARDM-2|6}}
|ARDM-2
|disposed
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nvr.navy.mil/SHIPDETAILS/SHIPSDETAIL_ARDM_2_1575.HTML|title=ARDM-2|publisher=nvr.navy.mil|access-date=14 February 2018}}</ref>
|-
|{{USS|Endurance|ARDM-3|6}}
|ARDM-3
|disposed
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nvr.navy.mil/SHIPDETAILS/SHIPSDETAIL_ARDM_3_52.HTML|title=ARDM-3|publisher=nvr.navy.mil|access-date=14 February 2018}}</ref>
|-
|[[Shippingport (ARDM-4)|''Shippingport'']]
|ARDM-4
|active in service
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nvr.navy.mil/SHIPDETAILS/SHIPSDETAIL_ARDM_4_53.HTML|title=ARDM-4|publisher=nvr.navy.mil|access-date=14 February 2018}}</ref>
|-
|[[Arco (ARDM-5)|''Arco'']]
|ARDM-5
|active in service
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nvr.navy.mil/SHIPDETAILS/SHIPSDETAIL_ARDM_5_50.HTML|title=ARDM-5|publisher=nvr.navy.mil|access-date=14 February 2018}}</ref>
|}

==Gallery==
<gallery widths=200 style="line-height:1.4">
File:USS Atakapa (ATF-149).jpg|USS Oak Ridge (ARDM-1) under tow by USS Atakapa (ATF-149) arriving in Rota, Spain on 26 June 1964. US Navy photo #USN 1104547 by PH1 J.A. Herry USN
<!-- Deleted image removed: File:Oak Ridge at Naval Station Kings Bay GA.jpg|USS Oak Ridge (ARDM-1) moored at NAVSTA Kings Bay, Georgia with a Los Angeles class nuclear-powered attack submarine in her dock, 24 August 1994. DOD photo #DN-SC-94-02619 -->
<!-- Deleted image removed: File:210 Drydocked in OAK RIDGE.jpg|210-ft Coast Guard Cutter dry dock in Oak Ridge, 2008 -->
File:USCGC EAGLE in Oak Ridge.jpg|USCGC EAGLE dry dock in Oak Ridge, 8 December 2017
File:USSOakRidge(ARDM-1).jpg|USS Oak Ridge
</gallery>

==Awards==

*[[Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal]] with one [[battle star]]
*[[World War II Victory Medal]]
*[[National Defense Service Medal]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Refbegin}}
* {{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/o1/oak_ridge.htm}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
*{{Navsource|09/67/6701|Oak Ridge}}
*{{HAER |survey=MD-191 |id=md2197 |title=Floating Dry Dock USS Oak Ridge (ARDM-1), United States Coast Guard Yard Curtis Bay, 2401 Hawkins Point Road, Solley, Anne Arundel County, MD |photos=63 |dwgs=9 |data=39 |cap=5}}

{{ARD-12 class auxiliary repair dock}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oak Ridge}}
[[Category:ARD-12-class floating drydocks]]
[[Category:World War II auxiliary ships of the United States]]
[[Category:Cold War auxiliary ships of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships built in Alameda, California]]
[[Category:1944 ships]]
[[Category:2002 ships]]
[[Category:Floating drydocks of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in Maryland]]