Board of Inspection and Survey
Encyclopedia
The Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) is a U.S. Navy organization whose purpose is to inspect and assess material condition of Naval vessels.
The Board is currently headquartered at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek
, Virginia
.
are properly equipped for prompt, reliable, sustained mission readiness at sea. Originally established in 1868 under Admiral David Farragut
, the board was reconstituted in 1877 with Admiral David Porter
as head of the board, expanding on the tasks he had assumed as duties under an instruction of November 16, 1870.
On August 5, 1882, Congress enacted legislation which established the Board of Inspection and Survey under statutory authority. Commodore Alexander A. Semmes
was the first officer to assume the title as President, Board of Inspection and Survey. INSURV has been operating continuously under this authority since that date.
In 2008, six Navy ships, including Stout
and Chosin
, failed their INSURV inspections. More than two dozen other ships were found to have critical deficiencies. Parting from a past practice of publicly releasing INSURV inspection results, the Navy immediately classified the 2008 reports. In response, US Senator Jim Webb
, in April 2009, asked the Senate Armed Services Committee
to look into the Navy's decision. Said Representative Rob Wittman
in support of Webb's action, "I am deeply concerned that a decision to classify these reports across the board would inhibit the Congress' ability to provide necessary and constitutionally mandated oversight."
(CNO) have designated the President, Board of Inspection and Survey (PRESINSURV) as their agent to perform the following statutory, regulatory and contractual requirements:
The Board is currently headquartered at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek
Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek
The Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek is the major operating base for the Amphibious Forces in the United States Navy's Atlantic Fleet. The base comprises four locations in three states, including almost 12,000 acres of real estate. Its Little Creek location in Virginia Beach, Virginia totals...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
INSURV teams
The Board performs its tasks by sending out teams at intervals not to exceed 60 months per Naval Ship. These teams evaluate a ship's readiness to conduct combat operations at sea, through an extensive system of checks on installed equipment.New construction
When a ship has been constructed by a shipyard and turned over to the U.S. Navy, an INSURV team must certify the vessel prior to declaring it operational.History
The Board of Inspection and Survey was established by Congress to ensure that the ships of the United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
are properly equipped for prompt, reliable, sustained mission readiness at sea. Originally established in 1868 under Admiral David Farragut
David Farragut
David Glasgow Farragut was a flag officer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and admiral in the United States Navy. He is remembered in popular culture for his order at the Battle of Mobile Bay, usually paraphrased: "Damn the...
, the board was reconstituted in 1877 with Admiral David Porter
David Dixon Porter
David Dixon Porter was a member of one of the most distinguished families in the history of the United States Navy. Promoted as the second man to the rank of admiral, after his adoptive brother David G...
as head of the board, expanding on the tasks he had assumed as duties under an instruction of November 16, 1870.
On August 5, 1882, Congress enacted legislation which established the Board of Inspection and Survey under statutory authority. Commodore Alexander A. Semmes
Alexander Alderman Semmes
Alexander Alderman Semmes was a career United States Navy officer, who served with distinction in the American Civil War. He was a cousin of Confederate naval hero Raphael Semmes, and also of Confederate general Paul Jones Semmes....
was the first officer to assume the title as President, Board of Inspection and Survey. INSURV has been operating continuously under this authority since that date.
In 2008, six Navy ships, including Stout
USS Stout (DDG-55)
USS Stout is the sixth Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer. Built by Ingalls Shipbuilding, she was commissioned on 13 August 1994 and she is currently homeported in Norfolk, Virginia.-Etymology:...
and Chosin
USS Chosin (CG-65)
USS Chosin is a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser serving in the United States Navy. She is named in honor of the Battle of Chosin Reservoir of the Korean War. Commissioned in 1991, she is currently serving in the Pacific Fleet, based in Pearl Harbor. She has participated in Operation...
, failed their INSURV inspections. More than two dozen other ships were found to have critical deficiencies. Parting from a past practice of publicly releasing INSURV inspection results, the Navy immediately classified the 2008 reports. In response, US Senator Jim Webb
Jim Webb
James Henry "Jim" Webb, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Virginia. He is also an author and a former Secretary of the Navy. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
, in April 2009, asked the Senate Armed Services Committee
United States Senate Committee on Armed Services
The Committee on Armed Services is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nation's military, including the Department of Defense, military research and development, nuclear energy , benefits for members of the military, the Selective Service System and...
to look into the Navy's decision. Said Representative Rob Wittman
Rob Wittman
Robert J. Wittman is the U.S. Representative for , serving since a special election in 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district stretches from the fringes of the Washington suburbs to the Hampton Roads area...
in support of Webb's action, "I am deeply concerned that a decision to classify these reports across the board would inhibit the Congress' ability to provide necessary and constitutionally mandated oversight."
Mission
The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) and the Chief of Naval OperationsChief of Naval Operations
The Chief of Naval Operations is a statutory office held by a four-star admiral in the United States Navy, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Navy. The office is a military adviser and deputy to the Secretary of the Navy...
(CNO) have designated the President, Board of Inspection and Survey (PRESINSURV) as their agent to perform the following statutory, regulatory and contractual requirements:
- Develop and establish CNO policy and procedures for trials, material inspections, and surveys of ships and service craft consistent with law, regulations, and the terms of contract.
- Examine Naval vessels periodically by a board of Naval officers to determine fitness for further service.
- Conduct material inspections and surveys of ships and service craft and provide assessment of the material readiness of these vessels.
- Provide independent verification of a newly constructed ship’s readiness for acceptance/delivery; and to determine if builder responsible equipment is operating satisfactorily during the guarantee period following acceptance.
- Based on observations during Board of Inspection and Survey assessments, provide timely, candid, and accurate findings to Fleet Commanders, Type Commanders, NAVSEA, and appropriate OPNAV offices together with recommended actions where appropriate.
- Conduct environmental protection and NAVOSH oversight inspection of Naval ships to include equipment, program compliance, and training. A combined NAVOSH/EP assessment will be conducted during non-MI Fleet Readiness Periods (FRPs), not to exceed 36 months.
- Compile statistical information and analysis on material deficiencies, providing the CNOCNOCNO is a three-letter initialism. It can mean:* "chartay nahi o??" BFSF, abbreviated CNO in the context of the GPS* Chief of Naval Operations* Chief Networking Officer* Chief Nuclear Officer* Chief Nursing Officer* Chino Airport IATA symbol: CNO...
, FLEETs, NAVSEA, and other higher authorities such information as they may require.
Presidents of the board
| Name | Dates |
|---|---|
| Adm. David Farragut David Farragut David Glasgow Farragut was a flag officer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and admiral in the United States Navy. He is remembered in popular culture for his order at the Battle of Mobile Bay, usually paraphrased: "Damn the... |
1868 |
| Adm. David Dixon Porter David Dixon Porter David Dixon Porter was a member of one of the most distinguished families in the history of the United States Navy. Promoted as the second man to the rank of admiral, after his adoptive brother David G... |
1877 |
| Comm. Alexander Alderman Semmes Alexander Alderman Semmes Alexander Alderman Semmes was a career United States Navy officer, who served with distinction in the American Civil War. He was a cousin of Confederate naval hero Raphael Semmes, and also of Confederate general Paul Jones Semmes.... |
1882—June 1883 |
| Comm. J.C. DeKrafft | August 1883—October 1885 |
| R.Adm. Edward Simpson | October 1885—March 1886 |
| R.Adm. James Edward Jouett James Edward Jouett Rear Admiral James Edward Jouett , known as "Fighting Jim Jouett of the American Navy", was an officer in the United States Navy during the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War... |
June 1886—February 1890 |
| R.Adm. Lewis Kimberly Lewis Kimberly Rear Admiral Lewis Ashfield Kimberly was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War and the years following.-Early life and career:... |
March 1890—April 1892 |
| R.Adm. George Belknap George Belknap Rear Admiral George Eugene Belknap was an officer in the United States Navy. USS Belknap was named for him.... |
April 1892—January 1894 |
| Comm. Thomas O. Selfridge, Jr. Thomas O. Selfridge, Jr. Thomas O. Selfridge, Jr. , son of Thomas O. Selfridge, was an officer in the United States Navy.Born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, Selfridge graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1854.-Civil War:... |
March 1894—October 1895 |
| Comm. George Dewey George Dewey George Dewey was an admiral of the United States Navy. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War... |
November 1895—November 1897 |
| R.Adm. Frederick Rodgers | October 1898—February 1901 |
| R.Adm. Robley Dunglison Evans Robley Dunglison Evans Robley Dunglison Evans was born in Floyd County, Virginia served in the United States Navy from the American Civil War to the Spanish-American War, attaining the rank of rear admiral... |
February 1901—April 1902 |
| Capt. Charles J. Train | January 1903—February 1904 |
| Capt. James H. Dayton | February 1904—February 1906 |
| R.Adm. Charles Stockton Charles Stockton Charles Herbert Stockton was a rear admiral in the United States Navy and the U.S. Navy's first uniformed expert in International Law.-Early life and education:... |
February 1906—May 1906 |
| Capt. Hugo Osterhaus Hugo Osterhaus Hugo Osterhaus was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy. He was the son of Civil War Major General Peter J. Osterhaus and father of Navy Admiral Hugo Wilson Osterhaus , and is buried on Arlington National Cemetery.-U.S... |
May 1906—September 1906 |
| R.Adm. Joseph N. Hemphill | September 1906—May 1907 |
| Capt. Richardson Clover Richardson Clover Rear Admiral Richardson Clover was an officer of the United States Navy. An 1867 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, he was a noted hydrographer, served as Director of Naval Intelligence, and commanded the gunboat during the Spanish-American War. He was socially prominent in Washington,... |
May 1907—June 1908 |
| R.Adm. Thomas C. McLean | June 1908—December 1909 |
| Capt. Chauncey Thomas | January 1910—October 1910 |
| R.Adm. Thomas Snowden Thomas Snowden Thomas Snowden, born on August 12, 1857 at Peekskill, New York, was appointed a Cadet Midshipman on June 25, 1875 and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1879.-Navy career:... |
October 1910—November 1911 |
| Capt. Augustus Francis Fechteler | November 1911—November 1913 |
| Capt. Henry Braid Wilson Henry Braid Wilson Henry Braid Wilson, Jr. was an Admiral in the United States Navy during World War I.-Biography:Henry Wilson was a native of Camden, New Jersey. He joined the United States Navy in the latter part of the nineteenth century and continued to serve for over forty years. He graduated from the U.S... |
November 1913—May 1916 |
| Capt. William A. Gill | May 1916—October 1918 |
| Capt. George A. Kline | October 1918—July 1921 |
| R.Adm. Charles Peshall Plunkett Charles Peshall Plunkett Rear Admiral Charles Peshall Plunkett, was an officer of the United States Navy who served in the Spanish-American War and World War I.-Biography:... |
August 1921—November 1922 |
| R.Adm. N. A. McCulley | December 1922—June 1923 |
| R.Adm. Alexander S. Halstead | June 1923—August 1923 |
| R.Adm. G. H. Burrage | August 1923—October 1926 |
| R.Adm. Lucius A. Bostwick | October 1926—October 1928 |
| R.Adm. Frank H. Brumby Frank H. Brumby Frank Hardeman Brumby was a four-star admiral in the United States Navy who commanded the Battle Force of the United States Fleet from 1934 to 1935.-Early career:... |
November 1928—June 1929 |
| R.Adm. George C. Day George C. Day George Calvin Day was a rear admiral of the United States Navy, whose career lasted from the 1890s until the mid-1930s.-Biography:... |
July 1929—September 1929 |
| R.Adm. Sumner Ely Wetmore Kittelle Sumner Ely Wetmore Kittelle Sumner Ely Wetmore Kittelle was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy and a veteran of the Spanish-American War and World War I. He was also the third military Governor of the United States Virgin Islands. Late in life, he also became an author and published a book on his family's... |
September 1929—June 1931 |
| R.Adm. George C. Day George C. Day George Calvin Day was a rear admiral of the United States Navy, whose career lasted from the 1890s until the mid-1930s.-Biography:... |
June 1931—October 1935 |
| R.Adm. J. D. Wainwright | October 1935—May 1937 |
| R.Adm. H. L. Brinser | July 1937—September 1940 |
| R.Adm. John W. Wilcox, Jr. John W. Wilcox, Jr. Rear Admiral John W. Wilcox, Jr. was a native of Georgia and a graduate of the United States Naval Academy class of 1905. As commander of Battleships, Atlantic Fleet, he was lost at sea on March 27, 1942, washed from the decks of his flagship, the USS Washington , in the North Atlantic off Sable... |
September 1940—December 1941 |
| R.Adm. David McD. Lebreton | December 1941—November 1942 |
| R.Adm. Walter Stratton Anderson Walter Stratton Anderson Walter Stratton Anderson was an Vice Admiral of the United States Navy, who served as the Executive officer of in World War I and as Commander of Battleships, Pacific Fleet, and of the Gulf Sea Frontier, during World War II.-Biography:... |
November 1942—June 1944 |
| R.Adm. Arthur G. Robinson | June 1944—March 1945 |
| R.Adm. Leigh Noyes | March 1945—June 1946 |
| R.Adm. Frank A. Braisted | July 1946—March 1951 |
| R.Adm. Calvin T. Durgin Calvin T. Durgin Calvin Thornton Durgin was a Vice Admiral who served in the U.S. Navy from 1916 until 1951. He served as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Air in 1949.-Biography:... |
March 1951—September 1951 |
| R.Adm. James H. Doyle | September 1951—May 1952 |
| R.Adm. John M. Higgins | May 1952—May 1954 |
| R.Adm. Richard F. Stout | May 1954—June 1959 |
| R.Adm. F. D. McCorkle | June 1959—November 1960 |
| R.Adm. Donald C. Varian | December 1960—July 1961 |
| Capt. W.M. Ryon | August 1961—November 1961 |
| R.Adm. Eugene B. Fluckey Eugene B. Fluckey Rear Admiral Eugene Bennett Fluckey , nicknamed "Lucky Fluckey", was a United States Navy submarine commander who received the Medal of Honor during World War II.-Early life and career:... |
November 1961—March 1964 |
| R.Adm. Harry L. Reiter | March 1964—June 1967 |
| R.Adm. John D. Bulkeley John D. Bulkeley John Duncan Bulkeley was a Vice Admiral in United States Navy and was one of the most decorated naval officers. Bulkeley received the Medal of Honor for actions in the Pacific Theater during World War II... |
June 1967—August 1988 |
| Capt. David J. Klinkhamer | August 1988—September 1988 |
| R.Adm. Theodore E. Lewin | September 1988—July 1992 |
| R.Adm. Phillip R. Olson | July 1992—July 1996 |
| R.Adm. Henry F. Herrera | July 1996—December 1997 |
| R.Adm. John T. Lyons III | December 1997—May 1999 |
| R.Adm. William R. Schmidt | May 1999—August 2002 |
| R.Adm. Curtis A. Kemp | August 2002—July 2006 |
| R.Adm. Michael P. Nowakowski | July 2006—April 2007 |
| R.Adm. Raymond Michael Klein | April 2007—November 2009 |
| R.Adm. John N. Christenson John N. Christenson John N. Christenson is a rear admiral in the United States Navy and currently the 53rd President of the United States Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.-Education and Family:... |
November 2009—March 2011 |
| R.Adm. Robert O. Wray | March 2011—present |