Drydock

A drydock or dry-dock, in terms of spacecraft, was typically a space station facility used for the major repair, maintenance and upgrading of any space vehicle. Construction of starships and other spacecraft took place in a shipyard.

Specifics[]

In the 23rd century, while docked within the traditional framework drydock, a starship was unable to maneuver or defend itself. Departure was not intended to be fast, so no procedure existed for a rapid exit. Leaving quickly required firing explosive bolts from the moorings. (TOS - Errand of Vengeance novel: River of Blood)

Drydock girders and struts were made of duranium, at least at Utopia Station One. (TTN novel: Taking Wing)

Some repairs could only be conducted in drydock, such as starship structural overhauls. Rebooting the central computer core was typically done while docked to avoid leaving the ship defenseless in space. Certain airlocks were used only in dock, such as one used to access the photon torpedo launch facility on the USS Stargazer. (TNG - A Time to... novel: A Time to Sow, TNG novels: Resistance, Before Dishonor, Reunion)

Federation starships have also been christened while in drydock, such as the USS Enterprise-B in 2293 and the Galaxy-class USS Excalibur in 2376. (TNG movie: Generations, NF novel: Restoration)

Designs[]

Starfleet drydocks in planetary orbit used a variety of designs. Some were made to enclose a vessel, such as Earth Station McKinley. (TNG episodes: "Family", "All Good Things...")

The Klingon Empire had at least one class of mobile drydock, the S8 class. (FASA RPG module: Klingon Ship Recognition Manual)

Ware repair station 2 — Ware trading post drydock.

Some non-Starfleet drydocks used a lattice structure design, such as Ware trading posts. Ware placed a pair of expandable latticework drydocks on each side of the main structure, employing robotic arms for welding and clamping. But other designs have also been used. The fully-enclosed stone interior of a classified Breen Confederacy drydock orbiting Salavat had reddish-brown walls inset with bits of crystal and ores. In the Mirror Universe, Tholians maintained a drydock within a hollowed-out moon located in the Vintaak system. That facility was exposed only on one side. (ENT episodes: "Dead Stop", "In a Mirror, Darkly", ENT - Rise of the Federation novel: Uncertain Logic, ST - Typhon Pact novel: Zero Sum Game)

History[]

In 2266, Starbase 42's traditional lattice drydock was hurriedly cut down the middle so it could be widened to fit around the USS Enterprise, as it had been built to repair much smaller starships. The drydock facility was separate and visible above the plane of the starbase. It formed an oblong box around the starship, with the warp engines protruding 15 meters. The lattice was made of hexagonally-shaped platforms and tubes of a coppery color. It contained tractor beams for moving ships in and out, along with umbilical cables and physical moorings. The Enterprise required a new dilithium chamber, as well as repairs to her deflectors, warp drive and weapons. (TOS - Errand of Vengeance novel: River of Blood)

In 2267, the Enterprise vacated the one maintenance drydock at Starbase 1 so that the USS Kongo could be maneuvered by tugs into the dock. By 2268, the starbase had expanded its facilities. In 2268, bays one and four contained starships requiring total repair, with one missing a bridge section and the other missing its warp engines. (TOS novels: Final Frontier, Mutiny on the Enterprise)

In 2269, The USS Constitution was in drydock getting new warp engines. (TOS novel: Crisis on Centaurus)

In August 2273, the Enterprise launched from drydock following 18 months of refitting in response to the V'Ger crisis. (TOS movie, novelization & comic adaptation: The Motion Picture)

In February 2274, the Enterprise put in at the Hus-24 drydock for biannual maintenance duty. The non-aligned facility was manned by Husians who conspired to steal the starship. (TOS comic: "Husian Gambit")

Aboard a shuttlecraft in 2364, Natasha Yar brought Jean-Luc Picard to McKinley Station, where the USS Enterprise-D was drydocked. (TNG episode: "All Good Things...")

In 2368, an unusual living, replicating clay from the strata of Phaedra was brought aboard the Enterprise-D accidentally. It subsumed much of the ship before being drydocked at Starbase 210. The ship was saved by rendering the clay dormant, but afterward the ship required two weeks of repairs. (TNG novel: Grounded)

In 2369, any ship desiring to transit the wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant first was required to have their impulse engines modified while drydocked at Deep Space 9. (DS9 novel: Bloodletter)

In 2375, Alexander Rozhenko accidentally triggered the waste-ejection system of the IKS Ya'Vang as his ship maneuvered into drydock over Qo'noS. (DS9 novel: The Left Hand of Destiny, Book One)

In 2375, Cardassians stole the Cheyenne-class USS Corinth out of a drydock. (NF short story: "Stone Cold Truths")

In 2379, after ramming Shinzon's Scimitar, the USS Enterprise -E was repaired in a drydock at Earth Spacedock. (TNG novel: Death in Winter)