USS White Sands

ARD 20
History
United States
Name	USS ARD-20 (until 1966) USS ARD(BS)-20 (1966–1968) USS White Sands (from 1968)
Namesake	The White Sands region of New Mexico
Builder	Pacific Bridge Company, Alameda, California
Laid down	20 December 1943
Launched	early 1944
In service	31 March 1944
Out of service	7 October 1947
In service	14 September 1966
Out of service	late summer 1974
Renamed	From ARD-20 to ARD(BS)-20 14 September 1966 White Sands 9 March 1968
Reclassified	From auxiliary repair dock (ARD-20) to bathyscaphe support auxiliary repair dock (ARD(BS)-20) 14 September 1966 Auxiliary repair dock (ARD-20) 9 March 1968 auxiliary deep submergence support ship (AGDS-1) 1 August 1973
Stricken	September 1974
Fate	Struck from US Navy Register 1974
Status	In Use as Floating Drydock, Seattle, WA
General characteristics
Class and type	ARD-12-class auxiliary repair dock
Displacement	5,200 long tons (5,283 t)
Length	291 ft 8 in (88.90 m)
Beam	81 ft (25 m)
Draft	6 ft (1.8 m) 32 ft 10 in (10.01 m) submerged
Propulsion	None
Complement	112

USS White Sands (ARD-20), ex-USS ARD-20, ex-USS ARD(BS)-20, later AGDS-1, was a United States Navy auxiliary repair dock in service from 1944 to 1947 and from 1966 to 1974 and an Auxiliary floating drydock.