Mr. Morris and an update from Captain Jornlin

More information on Gulf Copper's Mr. Morris.  A fitting place for repairs if you ask me.  

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AFDM-1 Class Medium Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock:

Laid down in January 1943 at Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Co. as Yard Floating Dock YFD-4

Delivered and placed in commissioned in October 1943

Redesignated Auxiliary Floating Dock Medium AFDM-2 in 1945

Decommissioned and inactivated, date unknown

Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, TX., 16 May 1995

Reactivated and transferred to the Government of the Dominican Republic in 1999

Sold to Gulf Copper & Manufacturing Corp. at Port Arthur, TX., renamed Mr. Morris

Current Disposition, active in commercial service at Port Arthur, TX.

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Specifications: 
Displacement 6,400 t.(lt)
Length 616'
Beam 116'
Draft 6 ft. 

Information from www.navsource.org.

From Captain Jornlin:

"Hi LST Fans -- We are high and dry in an old Navy dry-dock. We are now 11 crew strong! The CG has been aboard and did a great job locating some places of thin metal. They had to look hard as the old grey lady is still solid. On getting first readings back on side metal behind the "ice deflector Hull" it is good! First readings from underneath -- look good. We have a few dents we are planning to fix, We will take off the bow doors, fix the bottoms of the doors, and hinges and the metal that the hinges hook too -- take off the ice deflector cover that may be causing our problems as it has added a lot of weight out on the ends as we open wide the doors -- causing the hinges to start to fail and separate from the ship. New water tight gasket for the ramp will be installed. The paint job underneath is in surprisingly good condition, especially the two primer coats applied in 2004. We have a dilemma -- do we apply anti-fowling paint as before at a larger cost of $9,000 or just use black epoxy paint. They - yard men and painters say that we do not need anti fowling in fresh water. The propellers may come off tomorrow and the ones on the main deck installed after readings on the shafts and new bearings put in. Original propellers have shown some nicks and wear from the river banks and debris they can be fixed but would be expensive. They will be put on main deck for all to see and can be fixed later when our fortune is made. Chris HELP -- They may pull the stbd SHAFT! Captain Bob"