On December 13. 1816, the first patent (Patent Number 2705A) for a floating dry dock was issued to John Adamson, of Boston, MA.

There are three principal types of drydocks: marine railways, graving docks (permanent in-ground drydocks), and floating drydocks (a floating structure that is partially submerged to allow a ship to enter then raised to allow the ship to be serviced on a dry surface). Adamsons was a floating dtrydockt

On March 2, 1831, Congress extended this patent an additional 14 years from December 12, 1830.