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USNS Comfort (T-AH-20)

History

The USNS Comfort is one of two Mercy-class hospital ships operated by the US Navy. The hospital ship serving in the U.S.

Navy was originally given two sets of missions that continue to this day: first, as a large mobile floating medical facility to provide acute surgical care to U.S. troops while operating in a hostile theater; second, its mission was to Acting as a floating hospital for some government-supported organizations supporting victims of natural disasters, while providing international humanitarian assistance. Comfort makes her home in the Port of Baltimore, Maryland, while her sister ship, the USNS Mercy, docks on the West Coast.

Comfort was originally built in San Diego, California in 1976 as an oil supertanker named SS Rose City. When she was purchased and delivered to the U.S. Navy in 1987, she was placed in a shipyard rather than as a tanker, and was the second Mercy class to be converted into a hospital ship. The ship is adorned with a giant red cross to clarify its purpose while protecting its crew and human cargo from attack in hostile situations.

The Geneva Convention protects such hospital ships when there is no ammunition or weapons on board and any country that fires on them faces charges of international war crimes.

On January 12, 2010, a magnitude 7 earthquake struck Haiti, destroying the capital, Port-Prince. At the time of writing, the country operates more or less without a government, and the Red Cross estimates 100,000 to 200,000 people have died.

Tens of thousands are still injured, and the international community continues to search for those who may be alive (or dead) in the rubble.

The USNS Comfort departed its home port at 18:31 EST on January 16, 2010, and began picking up critically wounded persons by helicopter from the coast of Haiti on January 19. The Comfort docked in Haiti on January 20, 2010, a day earlier than expected.

Comfort has had a long career, serving in war and peace around the world.

Operation Desert Storm

Comfort was stationed near Kuwait and Saudi Arabia in 1990, treating 8,700 patients. Her deck has seen 2,100 helicopter landings and her 12 operating theatres have performed 337 surgeries. Her kitchen provides 800,000 meals for staff and patients.

She was awarded the Kuwait Liberation Medal and the Combat Action Medal for her service.

Action to Democracy

In 1994, during civil unrest, Comfort was sent to Haitinot as a hospital, but as an immigration processing center. Instead of adding doctors, she hired civilian staff to identify and treat Haitian immigrants.

When she arrived in June of the same year, she took in 1,100 people, 400 of whom were sent to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Later that year, Comfort returned to Haiti as a hospital to care for victims of the ongoing unrest, returning to her hometown in October 1994.

Operation Noble Eagle

On September 12, 2001, Comfort departed for New York in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks. She docked at Pier 92 in Manhattan on September 14. During their stay, 541 aid workers were checked for a number of injuries, including respiratory illnesses that proved fatal years later. Navy personnel provide counseling, and local massage therapists provide services to workers.

For this action, Comfort received the Navy Unit Commendation Medal.

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Comfort was ordered to the Persian Gulf in December 2002 to support the upcoming Iraqi operation. Comfort worked at the station for six months, caring for military personnel and Iraqi civilians. Surgeons treated 700 patients (US military and enemy prisoners) and required nearly 600 operations.

Comfort receives the Southwest Asia Service Medal.

Joint Task Force Katrina

After two days of preparation, Comfort left Baltimore for the Gulf Coast to help those injured by Hurricane Katrina. Between destinations in Mississippi and New Orleans, Comfort treated 2,000 patients before staying in the area for seven weeks to provide medical assistance.

She was awarded the National Defense Medal for her service.

Business Continuity Commitment

In South America, the need for humanitarian missions was seen. In 2007, President Bush dispatched the "Consolation" to 12 countries in Central and South America and the Caribbean. It would be Comfort's most ambitious health mission at the time. Local residents in many of the countries visited have poor sanitation and free medical care is appreciated. The medical team saw 98,000 patients and required 1,100 operations.

Operation Smile was part of the main operation, which required about 4,000 fillers and 20,000 fluoride treatments for 25,000 men, women and children. The American people were asked to donate and $200,000 was raised and donated to patients on behalf of the American people.

2010 Haiti Earthquake

Comfort gets word to prepare for her mission to Haiti - her toughest assignment yet. She left Baltimore on January 16 and arrived on Wednesday, January 20, 2010, a day earlier than expected. As I write this, your crews have already begun to deal with the first of thousands of expected casualties. This will be the biggest challenge for Comfort and her crew.

The Red Cross said as many as 200,000 people died and about 2 million were left homeless.

The Admiralty has looked into the possibility of the retirement of Comfort and Mercy. In 2004, Lieutenant General Cowan said: "They were designed in the '70s, built in the '80s, and frankly they absolutely need medical attention.