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InSurv passes national security cutter Waesche

The Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey recommended that the Coast Guard accept its second-in-class national security cutter.

The board praised the Waesche as a “very clean and capable platform” that met or exceeded expectations, according to a Coast Guard news release Thursday. InSurv issued its report Oct. 14.

The Coast Guard and InSurv conducted acceptance trials from Sept. 28 to Oct. 2. Acceptance trials are intended to identify problems and ensure the cutter meets contractual requirements before the government accepts delivery.

Each discrepancy is noted on an electronic trial card. The Waesche had 3,174 cards, but only three that were “starred cards” — referring to problems that must be corrected before delivery, according to the Coast Guard. The ship’s anchor base dimension will be reduced by one inch. Also, repairs are being made to the incinerator. Repairs made to the degaussing system have been completed. Final testing will be done when the ship heads to its home port of Alameda, Calif.

Over the next several weeks, the Coast Guard will work with the shipbuilder to address the starred discrepancies and develop plans to resolve all the trial cards. The ship is scheduled for delivery in early November in Pascagoula, Miss. Crew training and equipment testing is expected to begin in late December, with commissioning May 7.

The Coast Guard noted that the positive results of the acceptance trials reflect lessons learned from the first national security cutter, Bertholf. During its builder’s and acceptance trials, engineers discovered design problems with the Bertholf’s hull and sliding stern doors. The Bertholf had eight starred cards following acceptance trials, said Laura Williams, a spokeswoman for the acquisitions directorate. The Coast Guard took final delivery of the Bertholf on May 8.