USS Waterford

USS Waterford (ARD-5) was an Auxiliary floating drydock that served in the United States Navy during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Persian Gulf War. She later served the Chilean Navy as Talcahuano (133).

USS Waterford
USS Waterford (ARD-5) at New London, Connecticut
History
United States
NameUSS Waterford
NamesakeWaterford, Connecticut
BuilderPacific Bridge Company
Laid down22 September 1941
Launched12 March 1942
Commissioned3 July 1943
Decommissioned9 September 1997
Reinstated1999, Chilean Navy
Motto"We Lift The Fleet!"[1][2] "We Preserve" [3]
StatusIn service with Chilean Navy[4]
General characteristics
Class and typeARD-2-class Auxiliary Repair Dock
Displacement4,800 tons (Light)
Length482 Feet, 7 Inches
Beam71 Feet
Draft5 Feet
Complement6 Officers, 125 Enlisted
ArmamentTwo single 20 mm gun mounts
Aircraft carriedNone
Aviation facilitiesNone

Ship History

Waterford (ARD-5) was originally the unnamed, steel-hulled, auxiliary repair drydock ARD-5. She was completed in June 1942 at Alameda, California, by the Pacific Bridge Company. During the war, she served Pearl Harbor and San Francisco. At the end of World War II she was serving at the navy yard at Mare Island, California. She remained there until shifting to the east coast to serve the repair needs of the Atlantic Fleet. ARD-5 was named Waterford on 17 November 1976. She remained active, "in service" with the Atlantic Fleet into 1979—serving Groton and Naval Submarine Base New London. In 1984, Waterford assisted in repairs of the USS Sculpin.

Fate

In February 1997, the nuclear research submarine NR-1 docked, and undocked by late March.[5] Waterford was decommissioned on 9 September 1997, and struck from the Naval Register on 1 October 1997. On 10 March 1999, she was disposed of via the Security Assistance Program to the Republic of Chile. She was renamed Talcahuano (133) on 30 August 1999.

International radio call sign of
USS Waterford
November Charlie Echo Alpha

Ship Awards
Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation Battle Effectiveness Award with Wreathed 'E' (7 awards) American Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal National Defense Service Medal with 2 service stars
  • - NavSource, ARD-5 WATERFORD
  • - The USS Waterford
  • Archived 2017-06-01 at the Wayback Machine Page 40-43, All Hands Magazine, March 1984
  • - U.S. Naval Register, ARD-5
  • - Navy Crew List ARD-5

References
  1. https://bluejacket.com/usn/insignia/sp/a/ard5_insig.jpg
  2. "USS WATERFORD (ARD-5) Crew Roster". Hullnumber.com. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
  3. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-06-01. Retrieved 2017-07-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "Us Navy Dry Docks Afdb Afdm Afdl Ardm Ard Yfd". Shipbuildinghistory.com. 2019-06-11. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
  5. John Pike. "ARDM Auxiliary Repair Drydock". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2021-11-20.

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

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