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Here's a great article I found at www.northwestnavigator.com: -- The Everett homeported destroyer USS Shoup (DDG 86) has successfully completed a major material readiness inspection by the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) team.  The inspection took place earlier this month in San Diego, Calif. involved one day of underway testing followed by four days in port.  The assessment is conducted every five years for all Navy ships. This is Shoup’s first INSURV since commissioning in 2002.  INSURV is a survey team established by Congress to assess Navy ships and ensure they are properly equipped for prompt, reliable and sustained mission readiness at sea. The inspection results are given to Fleet commanders and then to the Chief of Naval Operations for review. During the inspection, the Shoup crew conducted numerous material checks for the INSURV team, demonstrating the ship’s capabilities and their knowledge of every facet of the ship’s equipment. Every department was involved in the inspection, which included navigation checks, an electrical walk-through, a full-power run, damage control equipment assessments, tests of the firefighting and counter-measure wash-down systems, and demonstrations of all major weapons systems.  The Shoup crew prepared for the INSURV inspection months in advance, utilizing check sheets and special procedures provided by the INSURV board in conjunction with normal maintenance requirements to discover and resolve even the smallest discrepancies. The crew also had to cope with numerous schedule changes: the inspection was originally set to occur in June 2007 but was delayed for various reasons ranging from operational commitments to inclement weather conditions. “We have been doing a lot of cleaning and inventorying,” said Electrician’s Mate Fireman Jayme Toliver. Lt. Cmdr. JoJo Abaya, a senior damage control inspector with the INSURV team, said while the team inspects, they also train crew members on proper procedures and preventing mistakes.  “It is a good learning experience for my technicians,” added Cmdr. Mark Johnson, Shoup commanding officer. “They learn while they are being inspected.” Ultimately Shoup and crew benefit from such a thorough inspection, ensuring that the ship is in top condition for its operational commitments. In this case the hard work paid off. Lt. Kurt Erickson, Shoup INSURV coordinator, summed up the value of the inspection by saying, “It’s an opportunity for the Sailors to demonstrate their skills and knowledge of the ship’s equipment and learn from the inspectors at the same time. They worked very hard in preparing for this inspection and the results are evidence of that effort.” (Lt.j.g. Elisabeth Erickson, USS Shoup, contributed to this article.) http://www.northwestnavigator.com/index.php/navigator/regionalnews/shoup_aces_major_inspection/