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30 MN January 2011 Alaska Ship & Drydock is on its way to achieving its vision of becoming the maritime support center for the North Pacific and Arctic Oceans. The yard’s story is tied to the economic development in Southeast Alaska and its turning point came with the construction of the MV Susitna, the first ice strengthened twin hull ferry, commis- sioned by the Office of Naval Research. Alaska Ship & Drydock (ASD) started out as Ketchikan’s Sunny Point Cannery. “The first planning documents that the state of Alaska did for the yard was in 1976,” said Doug Ward, Director of Shipyard Development at ASD. “At that time, the yard was intend- ed to be the Alaska Marine Highway System Winter Maintenance Facility.” The Marine Highway System (MHS) built out its fleet in the 1960s. However, Ward said, “the small commercial yards that were [in Alaska] at the time didn’t have the capacity to maintain the modern, steel vessels that were coming on line.” “The authors of the studies recognized that a lot of money and jobs in support of the MHS were being exported out of Alaska because the capacity to repair the Alaska Ship & Drydock A new maintenance company with no shipyard experience takes a struggling yard, converted from an old cannery, and transforms it into a success story. By Raina Clark Aerial photo of Alaska Ship & Drydock as it looks today. Photos cour tesy Alaska Ship & Drydock
