Russia’s PD-50 dry dock, shown holding the Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia’s only aircraft carrier

When PD-50, Russia’s largest floating dry dock, sank, Russia was left with no facility within which to retrofit the Admiral Kuznetsov.

Russia’s only aircraft carrier was scheduled to be modernized and returned to active duty in 2020, but an investigation is being launched into what caused the dry dock to sink and whether or not to raise the dry dock. Raising it would take six to 12 months from its resting place in Murmansk.

The Admiral Kuznetsov is currently at the 35th Ship Repair Plant in St. Petersburg to repair a 4-meter by 5-meter hole in its side, above the waterline.

This 7 November TASS article’s headline is misleading, Russia finds alternative to sunken floating dock for naval ships. Another dry dock, the PD-1 was thought capable of repairing the aircraft carrier, but it was determined not to be sufficient.