The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) kicked off the three-day Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) with more than 130 inspectors, both military and civilian, coming aboard June 23.
The inspection will cover the ship’s thousands of spaces. Inspectors will scour more than 200 miles of piping, 1,600 miles of cable and 30,000 light fixtures. The inspection will test various systems and verify safety gear inventories.
“INSURV, as tough and as thorough as it is, ultimately looks at how well we are performing,” said Lt. Cmdr. Angela Lefler, INSURV coordinator aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt. “It also gives us a guide for what to look for and helps identify trends among the other ships in the fleet.”
An important part of INSURV requires Sailors to check all of the lifesaving equipment aboard the ship. The inspectors ensure Sailors properly account for every float coat, self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and emergency escape breathing device (EEBD) to confirm they meet required standards.
“Inspectors are checking everything from padeyes to the propulsion plants,” said Lefler. “They are here to ensure that our material condition meets the Navywide standard.”
Theodore Roosevelt will show off her skills to the inspectors with a variety of demonstrations to validate the ship meets operational standards. Full power demonstrations, main drainage and detect-to-engage (DTE) are the three main objectives TR’s crew must successfully complete to pass INSURV. TR completed anchor drops and Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) testing during previous underways.
“The DTE tests all of our radars to ensure that contacts can be seen. Full power demonstrations ensure that we cannot only speed up and slow down quickly but can maintain high speeds if needed,” said Lefler. “Each of the main demos goes toward the overall INSURV score but have their own individual score they must meet.”
Sailors need to be ready to assist any inspector. Even those not directly involved in the inspections should treat the inspectors with the same courtesy as they would any other guest.
“This is a unified effort throughout the ship,” said Chief Hospital Corpsman Michael Mann, assistant INSURV coordinator aboard USS Theodore Roosvelt. “We want everyone actively engaged. When we are pier side, don’t immediately go to the hangar bay and jump on your cellphone. We still have a lot of INSURV demos to get through. So let’s not lose the momentum.”
[mappress] Press Release, June 24, 2014; Image: US Navy