The Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) is one of the most thorough inspections a U.S. Navy ship and its crew can experience. INSURV ensures ships are properly equipped for prompt, reliable and sustained mission readiness at sea.

The Arleigh-Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) successfully completed their first INSURV April 25. It was the ship's first INSURV since 2013. Months leading up to the big inspection, Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center (MARMC) was aboard to help ensure the ship was certified mission ready.

"We have to be aligned with the command's mission, 'we fix ships,'" said MARMC/Bainbridge Project Manager Laquince Johnson. "And we have to make sure these ships stay operationally ready. INSURV is a part of that."

INSURV is performed by a board of naval officers who conduct material inspections of all naval ships at least once every three years for the purpose of determining and reporting upon a ship's fitness for further service and material conditions, which limits its ability to carry out assignment missions.

"It's a readiness assessment," said MARMC/Bainbridge Project Support Engineer, Kurt Soucy. "The most important thing we need to prepare for is if during the assessment, INSURV identifies a problem, we have a path to fix the problem correctly. That is something the inspectors want to see. They want to know if the crew can sustain the ship's operational readiness."

The board uses standards contained in General Specifications for Overhaul (GSO), electronic installation and maintenance books, technical manuals, Preventative Maintenance System requirements, Engineering Operational Sequencing System (EOSS) and other documents. The areas of focus include engineering, deck, supply, damage control and other assessable areas covered by the appendices in the Board of Inspection and Survey Instruction.

MARMC completed a three-week Continuous Maintenance Availability (CMAV) aboard Bainbridge in March, conducting major repairs on the firemain systems, anchor windlass and other preservation work throughout the ship. Before INSURV, MARMC took a look at all the work done the past five years verifying integrity and ensuring every job is properly documented.

"We checked our past availabilities from 2013 to 2018, and reviewed the type of work that had been completed within those 13 areas," said Johnson. "We also reviewed all casualty reports (CASREPs) and departures from specifications (DFS). I'm looking at these things in order to see what we can complete during our future CMAVs or other availabilities. That eliminated CASREPs and DFSs and ensured the ship is more prepared for INSURV."

MARMC's role isn't much different from its role during availabilities except there is less outside contracting. Having just completed Chief of Naval (CNO) availability last year, Bainbridge now relies heavily on Ship's Force (S/F) to fix any problems and not outside facilities. The crew has complete ownership of their ship, but MARMC continues to serve as a resource throughout their operational cycle.

"During availabilities, we deal a lot with contractors who make sure the work is done to specifications," said Soucy.

"While preparing for INSURV, we're working more with the S/F to get them what they need to fix the ship themselves. MARMC provides them with different resources, such as technical assistance and training through our Code 200 (engineering) and Code 900 (production) ships. Our maintenance department is able to go over to do any jobs they need help with as well. Ultimately it's about teamwork. MARMC seems to have established a strong bond with the Bainbridge crew that has been built on trust."

"MARMC's project team has gone above and beyond to help us through the process," said Bainbridge Commanding Officer Cmdr. Patrick R. Murphy. "This ship has never been in better shape. It's reassuring when you can get on the phone with a maintenance team who gets it right and will always get you the support you need."

Johnson not only views INSURV as an observation of ship readiness, but it's a reflection on MARMC and how effective the command is accomplishing its mission and its impact to the fleet.

"We want our ships to be successful," said Johnson. "Because that is our goal - to make sure they are mission capable. We have 70 ships that have to get inspected here, and if one of those ships is not available, it affects the entire fleet, so we're looking at it in an in-depth way. That always helps ensure our success."

For more information about Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center (MARMC), visit: www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/RMC/MARMC/

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