USN's LCS Program Lauded, USS Freedom Not Yet Ready

Pre-inspection assessment of LCS USS Freedom rated the ship a 'No Go' for next scheduled inspection

The ship’s crew and contractors, said the senior inspector in an internal message, “were not prepared for the [pre-] inspection,” and “were unfamiliar with the conduct of [Board of Inspection and Survey] material checks.”

A half — 14 — of the inspected areas were rated “red,” or no-go. Eight categories received yellow marks, while six were rated green, or go. One of the 29 rated areas was not demonstrated.

While the inspector noted that the ship’s crew demonstrated “a good positive attitude” and was able to properly “self-assess,” the internal message noted that, “safety programs aboard the ship are non-existent.”

The Freedom has spent much of the past year undergoing an overhaul and a series of repairs, most notably a period in drydock in March and April to fix a broken shaft seal that resulted in minor flooding. The unscheduled repairs meant the crew had fewer opportunities to take their ship to sea.

“This is a process,” Cmdr. Jason Salata, a Navy spokesman in San Diego, said of the inspections. “The crew has to prove to us they’ve met the requirements that they can proceed forward and conduct the material inspection with the Board of Inspection and Survey” — known throughout the Navy as INSURV.

The Type Commander Material Inspection (TMIT) reviews were instituted by the Naval Surface Force last summer, Salata said, to better prepare ships for INSURV inspections.