Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:24:25-2:26:50

When a floating dock can lift a battleship

HMS Erin proves that floating docks could lift battleships, but a specific dock's dimensions still set strict class-by-class limits.

BattleshipsBellerophon Class BattleshipsBermudaDockyard CapacityFloating Dry DocksHMS DreadnoughtHMS ErinInvincible Class BattlecruisersKongo Class Battlecruisers
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Question

Can a floating dry dock lift a battleship, and could Bermuda's 1909 dock take a Kongo-class ship?

Short answer

A sufficiently large floating dock can lift battleships, but Bermuda's dock was marginal for early dreadnoughts and probably too small for a Kongo-class battlecruiser.

Notes

A photograph of HMS Erin in a floating dock in 1918 provides the direct answer: the principle works if lift capacity, dimensions, and balance are adequate. The Bermuda dock shown in the 1909 table could accept Bellerophon or Dreadnought only in lightened condition and could take an Invincible-class battlecruiser. It could not accommodate the later Indefatigable class. A Kongo-class ship was probably beyond its practical limit. Capacity depended on the relationship among displacement, hull dimensions, and the limits of a particular dock.