What is "floating dock"

Floating \Float"ing\, a.

1. Buoyed upon or in a fluid; a, the floating timbers of a wreck; floating motes in the air.

2. Free or lose from the usual attachment; as, the floating ribs in man and some other animals.

3. Not funded; not fixed, invested, or determined; as, floating capital; a floating debt. Trade was at an end. Floating capital had been withdrawn in great masses from the island. --Macaulay. Floating anchor (Naut.), a drag or sea anchor; drag sail. Floating battery (Mil.), a battery erected on rafts or the hulls of ships, chiefly for the defense of a coast or the bombardment of a place. Floating bridge.

   1. A bridge consisting of rafts or timber, with a floor of plank, supported wholly by the water; a bateau bridge. See Bateau.

   2. (Mil.) A kind of double bridge, the upper one projecting beyond the lower one, and capable of being moved forward by pulleys; -- used for carrying troops over narrow moats in attacking the outworks of a fort.

   3. A kind of ferryboat which is guided and impelled by means of chains which are anchored on each side of a stream, and pass over wheels on the vessel, the wheels being driven by stream power.

   4. The landing platform of a ferry dock. Floating cartilage (Med.), a cartilage which moves freely in the cavity of a joint, and often interferes with the functions of the latter. Floating dam.

      1. An anchored dam.

      2. A caisson used as a gate for a dry dock.

         Floating derrick, a derrick on a float for river and harbor use, in raising vessels, moving stone for harbor improvements, etc.

         Floating dock. (Naut.) See under Dock.

         Floating harbor, a breakwater of cages or booms, anchored and fastened together, and used as a protection to ships riding at anchor to leeward.
         --Knight.

         Floating heart (Bot.), a small aquatic plant ( Limnanthemum lacunosum) whose heart-shaped leaves float on the water of American ponds.

         Floating island, a dish for dessert, consisting of custard with floating masses of whipped cream or white of eggs.

         Floating kidney. (Med.) See Wandering kidney, under Wandering.

         Floating light, a light shown at the masthead of a vessel moored over sunken rocks, shoals, etc., to warn mariners of danger; a light-ship; also, a light erected on a buoy or floating stage.

         Floating liver. (Med.) See Wandering liver, under Wandering.

         Floating pier, a landing stage or pier which rises and falls with the tide.

         Floating ribs (Anat.), the lower or posterior ribs which are not connected with the others in front; in man they are the last two pairs.

         Floating screed (Plastering), a strip of plastering first laid on, to serve as a guide for the thickness of the coat.

         Floating threads (Weaving), threads which span several other threads without being interwoven with them, in a woven fabric.

Dock \Dock\, n. [Akin to D. dok; of uncertain origin; cf. LL. doga ditch, L. doga ditch, L. doga sort of vessel, Gr. ? receptacle, fr. ? to receive.]

1. An artificial basin or an inclosure in connection with a harbor or river, -- used for the reception of vessels, and provided with gates for keeping in or shutting out the tide.

2. The slip or water way extending between two piers or projecting wharves, for the reception of ships; -- sometimes including the piers themselves; as, to be down on the dock.

3. The place in court where a criminal or accused person stands.

   Balance dock, a kind of floating dock which is kept level by pumping water out of, or letting it into, the compartments of side chambers.

   Dry dock, a dock from which the water may be shut or pumped out, especially, one in the form of a chamber having walls and floor, often of masonry and communicating with deep water, but having appliances for excluding it; -- used in constructing or repairing ships. The name includes structures used for the examination, repairing, or building of vessels, as graving docks, floating docks, hydraulic docks, etc.

   Floating dock, a dock which is made to become buoyant, and, by floating, to lift a vessel out of water.

   Graving dock, a dock for holding a ship for graving or cleaning the bottom, etc.

   Hydraulic dock, a dock in which a vessel is raised clear of the water by hydraulic presses.

   Naval dock, a dock connected with which are naval stores, materials, and all conveniences for the construction and repair of ships.

   Sectional dock, a form of floating dock made in separate sections or caissons.

   Slip dock, a dock having a sloping floor that extends from deep water to above high-water mark, and upon which is a railway on which runs a cradle carrying the ship.

   Wet dock, a dock where the water is shut in, and kept at a given level, to facilitate the loading and unloading of ships; -- also sometimes used as a place of safety; a basin.

n. dry dock that can be submerged under a vessel and then raised [syn: floating dry dock]

A floating dock may refer to a number of constructions found in ports and harbours

• Floating dock (impounded), a development of the half tide dock, where pumps or river flow are used to maintain the dock at around the high tide level of a nearby tidal waterway.
• Floating dock (jetty), a lightweight quay or jetty, floating on pontoons, that rises and falls with the tide and shipping.
• Floating dry dock, a portable dry dock that may be towed into place.

A floating dock, floating harbour or wet dock is a dock alongside a tidal waterway that maintains a constant level, despite the changing tides.

A floating dock, floating pier or floating jetty is a platform or ramp supported by pontoons. It is usually joined to the shore with a gangway. The pier is usually held in place by vertical poles referred to as pilings, which are embedded in the seafloor or by anchored cables.

Frequently used in marinas, this type of pier maintains a fixed vertical relationship to watercraft secured to it, independent of tidal, river or lake elevation.

Image:Mohonk Mountain House 2011 Boat Dock Against Reflection of Cliff FRD 3029.jpg|Floating dock at Mohonk Mountain House Image:16 07 231 florence marina.jpg|floating dock at Florence Marina State Park Image:Floating dock at North Haven.jpg|A floating dock at a private marina.