USS Ability (AFDL-7)

The third USS "Ability" (AFD-7/AFDL-7) was a small auxiliary floating dry dock in the service of the United States Navy.

She was laid down in 1943 at Eureka, California by Chicago Bridge and Iron and launched in April 1944 as the unnamed, one-section, steel, floating dry dock AFD-7.

The non-self-propelled floating dry dock was then towed to the east coast for duty at the United States Coast Guard base at Curtis Bay, Maryland, where she began a long career of docking small naval combatants — up to the size of destroyer escorts — for hull repairs.

At the end of World War II, the vessel returned to the Pacific Ocean and proceeded via Pearl Harbor to Guam. While serving there, she was redesignated AFDL-7 in August 1946. Following brief operations at the naval operating base at Guam, AFDL—7 was taken out of service on 1 January 1947 and laid up with the Pacific Reserve Fleet. Some time in 1948, she was towed back to Hawaii and laid up at Pearl Harbor. New Year's Day 1950 found her at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard for repairs, which lasted into the following year. Two years later, she was back at Pearl Harbor — still inactive. She was inactive, in reserve, there until June 1970 when she was transferred, on loan, to the United States Army for service in South Vietnam. In October 1971, the small dry-dock was returned to the United States Navy and laid up at Guam. On 1 January 1973, she was reactivated and served at various advanced Pacific bases. She remained in this status through 1980. During this period of service, AFDL-7 was named "Ability" on 7 June 1979. While at Guam, she was taken out of service early in 1981. Her name was struck from the Navy list on 15 February 1981. She was sold for scrap on 1 July 1982.

See USS "Ability" for other ships of the same name.