National security cutter ‘capable,’ InSurv finds

Bertholf has 'great potential'
8 major systems found needing work.


National security cutter ‘capable,’ InSurv finds
By Philip Ewing - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday May 1, 2008 20:51:48 EDT

Coast Guard acquisition officials planned to sign the paperwork in “early May” to accept the first national security cutter, the Bertholf, after the ship got a clean bill of health from a Navy inspection team brought in to give an independent analysis.

A Navy Board of Inspection and Survey team, also known as InSurv, went aboard the Bertholf in mid-April to give the cutter a top-to-bottom assessment. InSurv identified 2,816 points on the ship, listed as “trial cards,” that were incomplete or needed attention, and highlighted eight major systems that needed improvement. Overall, Navy inspectors wrote that the ship “was found to be a unique and very capable platform with great potential for future service” in the Coast Guard.

The InSurv report provides one of the most detailed looks yet at the state of the $641 million Bertholf, the first in a class of eight ships that are to take over for the Coast Guard’s current fleet of a dozen 40-year-old Hamilton-class high-endurance cutters.

“In general, builder fit, finish and cleanliness on the main deck and above were very good and in many areas met or exceeded new construction trial expectations,” the report said, although the ship was not as squared-away below decks. And the InSurv said that 1,360 trial cards were carried over from previous machinery trials, “a testament to the superb quality assurance oversight provided during ship construction and testing by the USCG project manager’s representative office and the Navy supervisor of shipbuilding.”

But one key detail went unresolved — an assessment of the Bertholf’s command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance suite, commonly known as C4ISR. Much of the information systems gear was not yet installed when InSurv came onboard, according to the report, nor did Navy inspectors conduct full tests on the ship’s radios, although overall the communications section of the InSurv gave the highest grade, “satisfactory.”


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/05/coastguard_bertholfinsurv_050108p/



uhc comment: The national security cutter is part of the Deepwater program --> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_Deepwater_System_Program