The amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) successfully completed a four-day material inspection by the Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) at Naval Base San Diego, Oct. 8.

INSURV is conducted aboard all U.S. Navy ships every five years and is intended to ensure ships are properly equipped and ready for sustained combat operations at sea.

During the inspection, inspectors examined the ship and assessed the crew across a wide range of shipboard tasks.

"INSURV is the biggest inspection of a ship's life," said Chief Warrant Officer Jimmy George, the ship's INSURV coordinator. "It's a material-as-found inspection of the ship's material condition."

Some of the major inspections that took place during INSURV were anchoring evolutions, full power run, Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) sprinkler tests, and countermeasure wash down demonstration. The Boxer crew scored above class-average in several mission areas.

"Good material condition and equipment working properly when you need it most is fundamental to us successfully executing our mission," said Capt. Michael S. Ruth, commanding officer of the Boxer. "When the shooting starts, it is not the time to find out something doesn't work, it must work immediately and correctly."

The Boxer's high score on the inspection was no accident; the crew worked long hours to prepare.

"Preparation for Boxer's INSURV was arduous, but fantastic," said Fire Controlman Senior Chief Joseph Silveira, the command's assistant INSURV coordinator. "Many ships work every weekend for weeks, even months, leading up to the inspection in hopes that the sheer volume of personnel available will make the difference. Boxer's approach was different. The CO, XO and CMC mandated a much more 'objectives based' approach. The objective based approach was a leadership challenge, with massive amounts of data and metrics being tracked simultaneously, but I think the end result, as well as the crew's high morale, made the investment worth it."

"The crew is pumped up," exclaimed Ruth. "They have spent almost a year preparing for this inspection. Their pride and ownership of this mighty warship were on the line and they are now enjoying the reward and recognition of an 'excellent' inspection grade. They wear their Boxer ball caps with pride around the base, it's a good feeling."

Although INSURV has come to a close, the ship's mission pushes forward, full-speed-ahead toward deploying next year.

"We continue to build on the high standards we've put in place," said Ruth. "To keep the equipment, propulsion and combat systems at their peak performance, we have to be ready. I also need [the crew] to get some rest over the holidays. They have worked very hard up to this point, I need them fresh and ready when we push away from the pier on deployment, there's a balance between hard work, rest and being ready to execute the mission."


For more news from USS Boxer (LHD 4), visit www.navy.mil/.