USS Ingraham (FFG 61) recently completed its Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV).

After two days of underway materiel inspection and one day in-port equipment demonstration, the INSURV team deemed the Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate “fit for sustained combat operations at sea.”

“Ingraham is the cleanest and best preserved frigate I have seen,” said Capt. Mark Hoyle, the senior INSURV inspector, “and I’ve been on every single frigate on the East Coast.”

Occurring once every three-to-five years, INSURV is a congressionally mandated inspection that determines a ship’s material condition and her capability to carry out assigned missions.  Each inspection team, comprised of both military and civilian personnel, conducts a comprehensive evaluation of the ship, from the ship’s habitability to its engineering readiness. 

Although inspectors were impressed with Ingraham, getting the ship ready for INSURV proved to be a unique challenge for the crew.  In addition to the demanding task of preparing the ship for testing, Ingraham Sailors had to overcome hurdles in scheduling changes and operational commitments during the many months leading up to INSURV.

Capt. Michael Slotsky, commodore of Destroyer Squadron 9, praised the Ingraham team for their ability to succeed in the face of difficult challenges.

“Despite changes to your operational commitments and weather diverts, which caused shifts in your INSURV date, you prevailed and completed the inspection one day early,” Slotsky stated. “The INSURV team favorably noted the positive attitude of your crew, the cleanliness and attentive preservation efforts throughout the ship.”

Months of hard work finally paid off and Ingraham scored high marks all across the board. In addition to high scores in habitability and supply, Ingraham received above average marks in the areas of information systems, medical, electrical, weapons, communication, aviation, operations, and preservation.

Lt. Cmdr. Ernesto Rivera, executive officer, commented on the dedication and mission accomplishment of the crew. 

“Every single Sailor on board worked extremely hard, always maintaining a positive attitude and willing to give that extra ten percent to fix discrepancies correctly.  We proved our motto: we are the last and the finest frigate in the fleet.”

Ultimately, the successful completion of INSURV demonstrates that Ingraham has what it takes to get the job done. 

“I am extremely proud of our crew,” said Cmdr. Matt Ovios, Ingraham’s commanding officer. “I challenged them to be ready for INSURV and they were more than ready. I am also thankful for the assistance from the Everett waterfront. The ships of Destroyer Squadron 9, the squadron staff, the Regional Support Office, and Afloat Training Group banded together to make this a success.”

Ingraham is beginning work-ups with the Nimitz Strike Group, in preparation for its deployment this fall.