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But at least one lawmaker immediately expressed concern about the decision, citing a U.S. Navy inspection last month that found numerous problems with the vessel. The Coast Guard itself acknowledged some issues with secure communications and other systems still need to be resolved on the Bertholf cutter.
In March, Coast Guard officials said tests of the ship's systems identified problems with safety, launch and recovery applications and communications. Until some of those glitches could be fixed, the agency had delayed acceptance of the 418-foot, 4,300-ton National Security Cutter currently stationed in Pascagoula.
Now that the Bertholf has been accepted, the agency will run operational trials for up to 24 months.
"I am greatly concerned that the (material inspection and receiving report) would be signed in spite of... several deficiencies that have been 'starred' by U.S. Navy ship inspectors due to their potential to significantly impair the ship's operation," said Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., chairman of the House subcommittee on Coast Guard and maritime transportation.
Navy inspectors identified eight issues to be specifically addressed, including those with the computer system that enables automated operation of the ship's main propulsion and electrical systems, maintenance and realignment of the bearings that support the ship's propeller shafts, and assorted flight deck deficiencies.
Jan van Tol, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments and a retired Navy captain, said none of the issues appeared to be major, although the hardware and software modifications needed for automated operations could be tricky. "It's when fixing one component reveals trouble in another serially that timelines start to extend," he said.
The Coast Guard faces ample challenges either way, by its own assessment, but said the remaining six significant issues identified by the Navy inspectors would be fixed by the end of the month.
Elsewhere, some classified communications systems may not be certified before the cutter leaves the shipyard in mid-June, so temporary systems will be used, Rear Adm. Gary Blore said Thursday.
It will be "several months" before all of the communications, surveillance and reconnaissance systems are certified and no systems will be operated with classified information until that happens, said Blore, assistant commandant for acquisition.
