The following is the 2021 report from the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey. The report to Congress is an annual summary of the health of the Navy’s fleet.
According to Naval Sea Systems Command, “The Board of Inspection and Survey was initially established in 1868 by Congress to ensure that the ships of the United States Navy are properly equipped for prompt, reliable, sustained mission readiness at sea. In 1882, Congress enacted legislation which established the Board of Inspection and Survey under statutory authority, U.S Code Title 10, 7304, which requires a Board of Naval Officers to conduct a Material Inspection of all naval ships at least once every three years, if practicable. INSURV has been operating continuously under this authority since that date.”
From the report
Overall Fleet material condition showed a positive trend for FY 2021, matching the 6-year average that reversed a steady negative trend seen over the previous three years. Surface ship and submarine inspections drove this trend. FY 2021 CVN inspections slightly exceeded the 6-year CVN average. MSC inspections continued on a positive trend, with a significant increase in the number of inspections. Overall, some functional areas and subsystems remain degraded or show declining trends, indicative of areas where material readiness is stressed. All FY 2021 Material Inspections were conducted with minimal notice (30 days) given to the crews of the vessels. This is a substantive change from previous years. See section 6 for details.
New construction INDEPENDENCE-class LCS, SPEARHEAD-class EPF, and LEWIS B PULLER-class ESB programs performed well on trials. The remaining programs experienced significant deviations from OPNAV trials requirements, missed key program milestones, or had declining trial performance during this fiscal year.
Download the document here.
