YFD-2

{{Infobox ship |section1={{Infobox ship/image |image=YFD-2 arriving Pearl Harbor Oct 1940.jpg |image_caption=YFD-2 arriving Pearl Harbor Oct 1940 }}

|section2={{Infobox ship/career |country=United States |flag={{USN flag|1901}} |name=USS YFD-2 (nickname: ''Old New Orleans'') |namesake=''New Orleans'' |builder=Maryland Steel Co. |original_cost= |yard_number= |way_number= |laid_down=early 1901 |launched= 1901 |sponsor= |commissioned= 6 November 1901 |reclassified= |fate= unknown - Struck from the Naval Register, 28 January 1947 |honors= Combat Action Ribbon, American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal }}

|section3={{Infobox ship/characteristics |displacement=16,000 tons |length= About {{cvt|375|ft}} |beam= {{cvt|128|ft}} |draft= |depth= |hold_depth= |decks= |deck_clearance= |ramps= |ice_class= |power= |propulsion= |sail_plan= |speed= |range= |endurance= |test_depth= |boats= |capacity= |troops= |complement= |crew= |time_to_activate= |sensors= |EW= |armament=none |armour= |armor= |aircraft= |aircraft_facilities= |notes= First Yard Floating Dock, 18,000 tons lifting capacity. }} }} '''YFD-2''' (Yard Floating Dock-2, USS ''YFD-2'') was an auxiliary floating drydock built for the United States Navy in 1901. The first parts were laid down in early 1901 at Maryland Steel Co. of Sparrows Point, Maryland. YFD-2 was the first of its kind, steel movable auxiliary floating drydock, used to raise large ships out the water for repair below the ship's waterline. YFD-2 had a 18,000 tons lifting capacity.<ref>[https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/b/building-the-navys-bases/building-the-navys-bases-vol-1-part-II.html UN Navy, Building the Navy's Bases in World War II, Chapter IX, Floating Drydocks, page 208]</ref>

==New Orleans Navy Yard== YFD-2 was towed to her station in the Navy Yard near New Orleans at Algiers, New Orleans, Louisiana on 6 November 1901. It took four steam tugboats: the ''Orion'', ''Taurus'', ''Peerless'', and ''Volunteer'' to tow YFD-2 from Maryland to New Orleans. YFD-2 was a new state of the art machine for its time. USS ''Stranger'' with the Louisiana governor, William Wright Heard and the New Orleans mayor, Paul Capdevielle where there to greet the arrival. A New Orleans parade was held to celebrate the arrival. The first United States Navy ship repaired was the 11,565-ton battleship {{USS|Illinois|BB-7|6}}, a pre-dreadnought battleship in January 1902. Next YFD-2 repaired the {{convert|300|ft|adj=on}} long transfer boat ''Carrier''. In 1903 she repaired the Norwegian cargo ship ''Telefon''. YFD-2 remained in New Orleans until towed to Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii. The dock arrived in Pearl Harbor on 23 August 1940, before World War II. She departed New Orleans on 19 March 1940 after modification to make her sea worthy for the {{convert|6,000|mi|adj=on}} travel. To go through the Panama Canal she was taken apart at Cristóbal, Colón, the Canal was only {{convert|100|ft}} wide at that time and the {{convert|128|ft|adj=on}} wide drydock would not pass. The sections were towed through the Canal and reassembled at Balboa, Panama.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.waterwaysjournal.net/2018/03/26/navy-drydock-at-algiers-had-rich-history/|title=Navy Drydock At Algiers Had Rich History|date=26 March 2018|publisher=}}</ref><ref>The Wall Street Journal, Transfer boat ''Carrier'', July 24, 2017</ref>

==Attack on Pearl Harbor== YFD-2 was repairing the destroyer {{USS|Shaw|DD-373|6}} on 7 December 1941 during the attack on the harbor. YFD-2 and ''Shaw'' were hit and damaged in the attack by Japanese dive bombers. ''Shaw'' also damaged YFD-2 with the explosion of her forward ammunition magazines stores. Both ships were repaired and put back in service. On 9 January 1942 YFD-2 had the water pumped out of her pontoon tanks and was raised for repair. When the repairs were completed she was put back in service in May 1942. The Pacific Bridge Company was give charge for the repairs of YFD-2. Divers had to repair more than 200 holes in YFD-2 to float her again. Repaired, the YFD-2 raised the USS ''Shaw'' for 10 days of repairs to install a new temporary bow so ''Shaw'' could return to the naval shipyard at Mare Island at Vallejo, California for final repairs. YFD-2 was used for salvaging and repairing many of ships damaged on 7 December 1941, as she could raise any ship here, other than the large new battleships.

She continued repair work throughout World War II at Pearl Harbor. After the war YFD-2 was struck from the Naval Register on 28 January 1947. She was sold on 30 March 1948 for private use.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.navsource.net/archives/14/0702.htm|title=Yard Floating Dock (YFD)|website=NavSource}}</ref><ref>[https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/wars-and-events/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor-raid/pearl-harbor-in-1940-1941/80-G-411134.html US Navy, YFD-2]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/perl/learn/historyculture/civilian-casualties.htm|title=Civilian Casualties - Pearl Harbor National Memorial (U.S. National Park Service)|website=www.nps.gov}}</ref><ref>[https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/OnlineLibrary/photos/events/wwii-pac/pearlhbr/ph-shw2.htm USS ''Shaw'']</ref>

==Image gallery== <gallery> File:YardFloatingDock2.jpg|Yard Floating Dock-2 with battleship USS ''Illinois'', a pre-dreadnought battleship in January 1902 for repair Image:USS SHAW exploding Pearl Harbor Nara 80-G-16871 2.jpg|USS ''Shaw'' exploding after her forward magazine was detonated by the raging fire Image:USS Shaw Pearl Harbor-7Dec41.jpg|Wreckage of bombed YFD-2 and ''Shaw'' at Pearl Harbor File:USS Shaw (DD-373) in half-sunken YFD-2 at Pearl Harbor.jpg|USS ''Shaw'' in half-sunken YFD-2 at Pearl Harbor File:USS Shaw (DD-373) in sunken YFD-2 after Pearl Harbor attack.jpg|USS ''Shaw'' in sunken YFD-2 after Pearl Harbor attack </gallery>

== References == {{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/s/shaw-ii.html}} {{Reflist}}

==Further reading== * Sweatt, Greg. [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4442/is_200603/ai_n17172052/pg_1 "USS ''Shaw'': A Ship too Tough to Die!"] ''Sea Classics'', March 2006.

== External links == {{Commons category|Yard Floating Dry Dock YFD-2}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20120202184750/http://www.history.navy.mil/docs/wwii/pearl/ph117.htm USS ''Shaw'' Pearl Harbor after action report] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20130503051240/http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-s/dd373.htm USS ''Shaw'' (DD-373), 1936–1946 US Naval Historical Center photo galleries] * [http://www.erbzine.com/mag5/0508.html The USS ''Shaw'' / Edgar Rice Burroughs Connection]

{{DEFAULTSORT:YFD-2}} Category:World War I auxiliary ships of the United States Category:World War II auxiliary ships of the United States Category:1901 ships Category:Floating drydocks of the United States Navy