In the middle of my career, i spent two years as Chief Engineer, CHENG, or Engineering Officer of the USS Hollister (DD 788). It was an incredible, fun, interesting, and learning experience. It was as hard as any tour i had, and the responsibility weighed heavily upon me. It was my last destroyer tour. i split toured to an amphibious ship and never went back to the greyhounds of the sea.

The experience was invaluable.

It also had one of darkest periods during my service. It was called INSURV.

i believe the Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) came aboard in May. Admiral John Bulkeley had practically invented the board to inspect Navy ships to determine their fitness for full operations at sea. The inspection team was thorough and scary.

i was a brand new engineer, having spent all of my previous ship tours in weapons. My engineering department had just been designated a reserve ship when i arrived and my two master chief machinist mates, a master chief boiler tender, two senior chief machinist mates and one boiler tender senior chief had all been reassigned to other, active force ships. My engineering leadership consisted of one master chief boiler tender and first class petty officers. Shortly after i arrived in December 1973 and inspected my spaces and my equipment, i determined my goal was to get to our scheduled overhaul in September without missing a scheduled operation commitment.

The INSURV engineering team ripped me and my department apart for the maintenance and upkeep of our equipment. The scolding was deserved. There were a number of things we weren’t doing maintenance wise and one inspector took me under his wing and explained how we should be doing it.

i was devastated. It was the first real bad mark against my running a division or department. i was ashamed.

Much later in my career when i was conducting leadership seminars for senior officers, i discovered (through the help and guidance of my teammate Dave Carey) a study on outstanding leaders. The report noted those COs and XOs who didn’t quite make the grade of superlative looked upon inspections as pains, unnecessary evils. The superior bosses thought of those inspections as useful because they pointed out areas that could be improved and make their commands better.

i certainly wasn’t thinking of my INSURV making my engineering department better. i was in the survival mode. A boon was revealed when we had our first pre-overhaul planning conference. Surface Forces Pacific, our squadron material officer, and Supervisor of Shipbuilding (SUPSHIPS) attended. The INSURV had given me a perfect shopping list for all of the repairs that were required for the engineering department. It did make us better.

And it made me better as well. Over two years later, the USS Anchorage (LSD 36) experienced its INSURV inspection. i had cross-decked as first lieutenant. i was ready. The deck department past every aspect of its inspection and was given an outstanding grade.