Integrated Sea Trials Management for Sealift New Construction

Integrated Sea Trials Management for Sealift New Construction

Organization: NAVSEA, Military Sealift Command (MSC)

Team Name: Sealift New Construction Team

Related Acquisition Topic(s): Acquisition Practices Streamlining, Cycle Time Reduction (CTR), Financial Management, Integrated Product Teams (IPT), Risk Management

Description:
During the week of 15-19 March 1999, after almost two years of preparation, the SUPSHIP San Diego/Military Sealift Command (MSC)/National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) team presented USNS Dahl to the Trials Board of the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) for an unprecedented sea trial event we have called Integrated Trials. Traditionally, INSURV conducts Acceptance Trials just prior to ship delivery and Final Contract Trials near the end of the contractor’s warranty period. Prior to Acceptance Trials (AT), the contractor will conduct one or more Builder’s Trials to conduct systems testing and ensure the vessel is ready to successfully complete the AT. In the case of USNS Dahl, all of these trials were integrated into a single sea trial and on Dahl’s maiden voyage, INSURV was onboard. During the course of this trial, all American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), Coast Guard, NAVSEA and INSURV requirements for demonstrating the superb capabilities of this fine ship were met. Monday afternoon, USNS Dahl got underway for the first time, exactly on schedule and proceeded immediately to an operation area where it demonstrated the capability to operate for six hours with completely unmanned engineering spaces. A series of other tests and demonstrations filled Tuesday morning and afternoon. These included tests of the anchor windlasses, the automatic collision avoidance system, the countermeasure washdown system and the fire fighting foam system. Dahl then rung up full power and ran that way for four hours. This was followed by steering tests ahead, a quick reversal astern, steering tests astern and a quick reversal ahead. USNS Dahl returned to port early Wednesday morning after an extremely successful 33-hour Integrated Trial. In a model example of teaming and cooperation, the Sealift New Construction Team and NASSCO prepared an Integrated Trials Management Plan, which included a Risk Mitigation Matrix to identify and manage the risks associated with conducting only a single trial. This teaming approach has as its foundation a Joint Quality Management Board, formed in 1992, which focuses on continual process improvement. There are several advantages to the Navy in integrating the sea trials. These advantages include: 1) historic acquisition reform paradigm breaker--driving quality into the construction phase instead of the testing phase, 2) ship ready for delivery four to six weeks early, 3) cost avoidance estimated at $788K, associated with conducting only one sea trial, 4) making the ship more available to the crew for orientation and training after first sea trial due to higher ship readiness and less testing and discrepancy correction, and 5) enabling the shipbuilder to continue process improvement and cycle-time reduction in pursuit of world-class benchmarks. This landmark event is the way of the future for cycle-time reduction and cost avoidance, and it was only made possible by two years of teamwork and dedication by the NASSCO/SUPSHIP San Diego/PMS 385/MSC team.

NAVSEA, Military Sealift Command (MSC)

Sealift New Construction Team