The Road to Impeccable: An Uncommon Approach to Ship Acquisition

The road to the acquisition of the USNS Impeccable (T-AGOS 23) has seen a few uncommon and challenging twists and turns, resulting in delays and disruption to the program. The saga began in 1993, when the original ship-builder, facing financial difficulties, filed for Chapter XI bankruptcy protection. For two more years the program was stalled before the Navy was able to warrant the work that had been done up to that point. In 1995 the contract was reassigned to another shipbuilder to complete the vessel and obtain the necessary certificates to comply with all the applicable requirements of the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). This unprecedented approach put the Navy in the unique situation of being responsible for two of the most controversial issues in a ship construction process, i.e., detail design and equipment warranties.This paper gives the status of the program, discusses how various technical issues and production demands are being addressed, and describes the future hurdles that need to be overcome before delivery of the vessel.