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Zone Inspection Discrepancy List Crucial to Stennis' Success

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS100601-18
6/1/2010

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kevin Murphy, USS Stennis Public Affairs

BREMERTON, Wash. (NNS) -- Since October 2009, USS John C. Stennis' (CVN 74) has completed nearly 30 zone inspections, identifying discrepancies which can be corrected in departmental spaces to help maintain the ship's operational status.

Missing screws, improper labeling of ventilation systems and dirt on the overheads are just a few zone inspection discrepancy list (ZIDL) hits Sailors have corrected while maintaining the ship and preparing for the aircraft carrier's Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) following the ship's rehabilitation period.

"It's not about being mean to somebody or hurting someone's feelings, said Capt. Michael Wettlaufer, Stennis executive officer. "It's about making our 15-year-old ship last 50 years."

Stennis is separated into 11 zones, each of which is inspected quarterly to identify any discrepancies and to ensure progress by fixing ZIDL hits.

According to Senior Chief Aviation Boatswain's Mate (AW/SW) Jamey Norwil, Stennis V-5 division's leading chief petty officer, the most common hits are missing rubber gaskets in electrical brackets, valve handles improperly painted and unused angle irons.

Sailors are given approximately four months time between zone inspections to fix discrepancies. From January to March, Stennis Sailors identified 7,414 ZIDL hits and worked 9,609 man-hours correcting 6,390 deficiencies.

Discrepancies which can't be repaired by a prescribed deadline require a trouble call, and more more serious discrepancies are entered into the organizational maintenance management system and documented in the current ship's maintenance project to be tracked, assigned and fixed.

With new Sailors reporting aboard Stennis, Wettlaufer stressed the importance of making the zone inspection process a collaborative effort.

"It's an on-going process," he said. "We are sharing knowledge, training the chief's mess and officers so they can spread it to the junior Sailor."

Wettlaufer also said the zone inspection process will continue through the ship's planned incremental availability, and departments should prioritize the importance of jobs.

"If there is some corrosion on a bulkhead and a broken pipe in a space, obviously we want to concentrate efforts on fixing the broken pipe and use our resources effectively," he said. "It's our ship - we own it, we pay for it, we fix it."

By marking discrepancies and fixing ZIDL hits, Sailors are helping maintain Stennis' operability and 50-year life cycle, all efforts designed to return the ship to its power projection, forward presence and deterrence at sea status.