Semi-submersible heavy-lift ships recover damaged warships or deliver large naval vessels by sinking their deck beneath the load and then lifting it clear of the water. Blue Marlin carried USS Cole home and also delivered HMAS Adelaide to Australia. Boka Vanguard can lift roughly 110,000 tons, prompting a comparison with a Ford-class aircraft carrier. Its 79-meter beam exceeds the carrier's 41-meter waterline beam, although a 337-meter carrier would overhang Vanguard's roughly 275-meter deck. The dimensions make such a lift worth considering, and assured access to this movable-dock capability might reduce wartime ship losses.
Chapter · 48:04-53:04
Boka Vanguard as a movable strategic dock
Boka Vanguard's semi-submersible deck can transport damaged or outsized vessels, giving a scarce commercial ship the strategic utility of a movable dock.