USS WASP

Courtesy Story

By Petty Officer 1st Class 1st Class Andrew McCord

CARIBBEAN SEA – With little more than four months until USS Wasp is scheduled to undergo their Board of Inspection and Survey assessment, the command has continued to press on a number of issues that will ensure their success in March.

"The goal with INSURV is to keep a steady strain with our preparations, with a continued focus on cleanliness, materiel condition, demonstrations, and INSURV rehearsals," said Wasp INSURV Coordinator Lt. Shannon Wiens. "The Sailors have really turned to and made a huge difference in the overall cleanliness of the ship. That is the first impression INSURV will have when they walk onboard and sets the tone for the rest of the inspection."

Easily the broadest inspection for a naval vessel, INSURV is designed not only to evaluate the readiness of a ship, but also its ability to self-assess.

"In terms of inspections, this is the big one – the one that determines where we're at and how we're doing in terms of taking care of our ship, and how our ship is going to fare in terms of ability to accomplish the mission," said Wasp Commanding Officer Capt. Lowell D. Crow. "When you consider the magnitude of the inspection and what it entails, it really brings together everything that we in the Navy do on a regular basis – maintenance, training, drilling – and all of these things keep us and our ship battle-ready."

As the final months, weeks, and days wind down to the inspection, Wiens said that the level of "ownership" being taken of Wasp by the crew has increased dramatically.

"The Sailors are already making a difference in preparing for INSURV," she said, also noting how command-mandated evolutions are affecting the motivation and readiness in increasing degrees. "The weekly field days will continue, as well as the focused cleanings in berthing, fan rooms, and ventilation. Sailors know their spaces. If there is a discrepancy or broken piece of gear, they need to take it upon themselves to ensure the appropriate actions are taken."

Despite the importance and time spent preparing for the INSURV assessment, it is a relatively quick assessment lasting less than a week. Conducted both underway and in port, the INSURV schedule of events include ballast, anchor and full-power run demonstrations, and a "detect-to-engage" check, to name a few. The assessment team will also conduct thorough space inspections throughout the ship.

"If you haven't been through an INSURV before, this is a 24-7, all hands evolution if we want the ship to be successful," said Wiens. "The lesson we learned from the previous mock inspection was that practice makes perfect. It's only going to serve to make us better and increase the ship's readiness for INSURV."

INSURV is a U.S. Navy organization that has the specific purpose of inspecting Navy materials with a main focus on ships. Inspection teams are required to visit U.S. Navy ships at intervals not to exceed five years to evaluate a ship's readiness to conduct combat operations at sea, and to systematically check installed equipment. Originally founded in 1868 under Admiral David Farragut, Congress officially established the institution under statutory authority in 1882.

Wasp is currently deployed on Southern Partnership Station-Amphib with Destroyer Squadron 40 and embarked Special Cooperation Marine Air-Ground Task Force. Southern Partnership Station is part of the Partnership of the Americas Maritime Strategy that focuses on building interoperability and cooperation in the region to meet common challenges.

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