Austal USA’s new Navy dry dock needed another dry dock to reach the water. Workers moved AFDM 15 into Alabama Shipyard’s dock on July 25, 2026, then flooded the dock and towed the new structure into the Mobile River three days later.
The 694-foot Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock Medium is designed to lift Navy destroyers and cruisers clear of the water for maintenance. Austal announced the launch on August 10.
Continuous side walls and sectional pontoons provide the buoyancy needed to lower the dock around a vessel and raise it for work. AFDM 15 has a rated lifting capacity of 18,000 long tons and a clear working deck of 90,800 square feet.
The lifting rating describes the load the dock can support. It is separate from the structure’s own weight, which Austal reported as 12,000 tons.
The builder said its design incorporates lessons from operating a similar dock at its Mobile repair facility. Launching AFDM 15 moved that experience into a new Navy asset; delivery remained ahead in the company’s announcement.
Sources
- Austal USA launches Navy dry dock - largest vessel launched to date — Austal USA · 2026-08-10.