USS Bonhomme Richards Starts Mid-Cycle Inspection

Sailors assigned to U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) began the at-sea evaluation phase of the ship’s Mid-Cycle Inspection (MCI) today, November 9.

Similarly to the INSURV, The MCI is a detailed material condition readiness examination of U.S. Navy vessels and is scheduled mid-way between the three to five year Boards of Inspection and Survey, or INSURVs.

The inspection results are published to the Department of Navy and Congress. These reports contain information about a crew’s maintenance practices and operational capabilities.

Preparation for an MCI involves Sailors going into the nooks and crannies of a ship to identify discrepancies to be repaired by themselves, by specially qualified Sailors, or a Ship’s Repair Force (SRF).

The underway portion of MCI is a way for Type Commander Material Inspection Teams (TMIT) and INSURV inspectors to confirm that the ship operates properly.

The evolution will span three days as TMIT and INSURV inspectors boarded Bonhomme Richard to execute more than 575 graded events in waters off Sasebo, Japan.

USS Bonhomme Richard is the lead ship of the Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group and is forward-deployed out of Sasebo, Japan in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.

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Image: US Navy