Michelson made an unexpected visit to dry dock at Southhampton in 1962 |
At about the time of its movement from Bergen to Belfast, USNS Michelson made an unexpected visit to dry dock in the late summer or early fall of 1962 to fix a problem with the hull and/or sonar domes. Roger Oldes, detachment photographer at that time, was likely the one who took the artfully composed photo. Our 455 foot converted Victory hull is dwarfed in the immensity of the dock, intended for the great Cunard and White Star Line passenger ships.
On the right is a photo of the first RMS Queen Elizabeth (1939-68) taken in the same dry dock, date unknown. Too long for the Panama Canal at 1031 feet, the Queen left plenty of room in the dock for removal of drive shafts and four propellors.
Top photo furnished by Marty Rombach.