9/11 was the first time that I was aware of the USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort. The Navy’s equivalent to the Amry’s M.A.S.H. unit except they go floating on the seven seas. USNS Comfort’s latest mission is on to New Orleans to lend support to the aftermath of Katrina.
Well it seems that some less informed civilians are whining about why it is taking so long for the magnificent ship to get to New Orleans. Well, Wizbang has done a bang up job on explaining why here.
Note to self: When wanting to bone up on the USNS Mercy and Comfort, reference this post.
The USNS Mercy and the USNS Comfort are the only two hospital ships in commission. The Mercy is based out of San Diego, and the Comfort is home-ported in Baltimore.
These are huge ships. They are nearly 900 feet long, 95 feet wide, and displace almost 70,000 tons (making them bigger than the biggest battleships ever built, overshadowing the Iowa and the Yamato).