The U.S. Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey recommended that the Coast Guard accept its second-in-class National Security Cutter.
The board praised the Waesche as a "very clean and capable platform" that met or exceeded expectations, according to a Coast Guard news release Oct. 22. InSurv issued its report Oct. 14.
The Coast Guard and InSurv conducted acceptance trials from Sept. 28 to Oct. 2. Acceptance trials are intended to identify problems and ensure the cutter meets contractual requirements before the government accepts delivery.
Each discrepancy is noted on an electronic trial card. The Waesche had 3,174 cards, but only three that were "starred cards" - referring to problems that must be corrected before delivery, according to the Coast Guard. The problems involved the ship's anchor dimensions, incinerator and degaussing system.
Over the next several weeks, the Coast Guard will work with the shipbuilder to address the starred discrepancies and develop plans to resolve all the trial cards. The ship is scheduled for delivery in early November in Pascagoula, Miss. Crew training and equipment testing is expected to begin in late December, with commissioning May 7.
The Coast Guard noted that the positive results of the acceptance trials reflect lessons learned from the first National Security Cutter, Bertholf. During its builder's and acceptance trials, engineers discovered design problems with the Bertholf's hull and sliding stern doors. The Coast Guard took final delivery of the Bertholf on May 8.
The Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) program is ready to test a few components that soldiers may have in their hands by 2010.
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