PEARL HARBOR (NNS) -- USS Reuben James (FFG 57) completed its material inspection by the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) Dec. 18.

Reuben James' crew successfully wrapped up an intensive weeklong assessment of the ship's equipment and spaces. Although the inspection lasted only a week, it signified the pinnacle of months of hard work and attention to detail that had been invested by her crew.

The purpose of INSURV is to examine the ship's damage control abilities, safety, habitability, material condition and overall shipboard readiness to ensure its readiness for battle.

INSURV inspectors of multiple technical backgrounds came aboard Reuben James Dec. 14 with the sole intent of assessing the equipment and spaces for each of the ship's departments. Although INSURV inspections are traditionally a relatively stressful and arduous evolution for most ships to undergo, this inspection proved to be an even more daunting task for the crew of given the age of the ship.

Reuben James was commissioned March 22, 1986, rendering her one of the oldest frigates in the fleet.

Needless to say, the upkeep and maintenance of a 23-year old ship is far more challenging than most of the newer and more technologically advanced ships on the waterfront.

Nonetheless, the crew proved that neither age nor outside doubt could hinder them from success. After a grueling initial 2 days of inspection, the ship did very well on many of its checks, but took a number of noteworthy hits.

However, in the face of challenge, the crew stood true to the ship's name and battled back with a vengeance on day 3, many working into the wee hours of the morning to prepare for the critical inspections for the day to come. In the end, the hard work and dedication of the crew paid off as INSURV gave its final blessing of combat readiness for the upcoming deployment.

"Reuben James never walked away from a challenge and neither does this crew," said Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Joe Naman. "They look adversity in the face, lower their shoulder, and charge ahead."

This attitude was highly visible throughout the crew.

"INSURV brought the ship together. I was dead tired during day 2, but I took my second wind and did what I could to help my fellow Sailors," said Information Systems Technician 1st Class (SW) Jose Ramirez. "It's like we went to battle and the entire crew fought together. After going through INSURV I feel I can go into battle with this crew any day."

With a successful INSURV inspection now behind them the crew of USS Reuben James will be enjoying a much deserved holiday stand down, after which they will proudly display their ship's battle readiness while forward deployed.