USNS Comfort deployed from Norfolk, VA, to New York Harbor today to help deal with the impact of the Corona pandemic. Her mission is to treat patients who do not have the virus, freeing up land-based hospitals to focus on COVID-19.
Comfort is a non-commissioned ship owned by the U.S. Navy and operationally crewed by civilians from the Military Sealift Command (MSC).
She is the length of three football fields and as tall as a 10-story building, carrying more than 700 medical personel and housing 12 operating rooms and 1000 beds. Comfort is the largest hospital ship in the world, along with her sister ship, USNS Mercy. They were both previously oil tankers. Mercy arrived in Los Angeles on Friday.
Manhattan Cruise Terminal's Pier 90, will become the ship's temporary home, and is being dredged in preparation for her arrival.
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(Image by (From Wikimedia) Jim.henderson, Author: Jim.henderson) Details Source DMCA
Comfort's homeport has been Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, VA since March 2013. Previously her home port was Baltimore, MD, but her new location in Norfolk puts her closer to supplies and crew.
