A somewhat similar dock to that at Bermuda, slightly shorter but of greater lifting power, was designed for the Navy Department of the United States of America, and constructed by the Maryland Steel Company at Baltimore, and stationed at Algiers near New Orleans. Its length is 525 feet over blocks, its entrance 100 feet, and its lifting power up to pontoon-deck level no less than 18,000 tons, making it as regards lifting power then the most powerful dock in the world. This lifting could be increased to 20,000 tons by using the “pound.” Its hull weight is 5850 tons. [Illustration: SELF-DOCKING OF THE BERMUDA DOCK (WELL HEELED).] [Illustration: BERMUDA DOCK: CENTRE PONTOON SELF-DOCKED] It is interesting to note the different methods adopted by the Governments of the two countries for the shoring or berthing of the ships on the dock. The English custom in the case of ironclads of the pre-_Dreadnought_ era, and also that of Italy and Japan, is to support the armour belt on more or less vertical shores inserted under an angle-iron firmly attached to the belt. These shores are put into position as the ship is rising, and, as the water recedes, more and more shores are inserted. The Bermuda dock has large and heavy altars constructed for this purpose. The American custom is to strengthen the bilges of their ironclads with strong bilge docking keels, forming, with the keel proper, a level bottom. No shores are required beyond those necessary to centre the vessel, and no great care is required in adjusting the berth, and one set of bilge blocks does for all sizes of vessels. The American plan affords a great saving in weight and quantity of shores, and, what is more important, a great saving in time, not only in the preparation of the berth and centreing of the ship, but also in the actual lifting. With the American plan it would be perfectly feasible to dock a vessel completely in the time required to centre and adjust her with shores disposed according to English practice.