The US Navy’s USNS Comfort — which arrived in New York City on Monday — is a mammoth floating hospital that was last dispatched to aid New York City after 9/11.
With 1,000 beds, 12 fully equipped operating rooms and up to 1,200 doctors, nurses and medical specialists, the white converted supertanker emblazoned with giant red crosses is a sight for sore eyes.
The Comfort — which recently underwent maintenance in its home port of Norfolk, Virginia – will treat non-coronavirus patients, relieving the immense pressure on the city’s hospitals during the mounting crisis.
The ship’s arrival comes as the hospitals are clearing out beds, setting up new spaces to triage patients and urging those with mild symptoms to consult health professionals by phone instead of overrunning emergency rooms.
The roughly 70,000-ton Comfort was originally a San Clemente-class oil tanker before it was converted into a hospital ship in 1987.
At almost 900 feet long and 106 feet at its widest point, the ship can reach speeds of up to 17.5 knots – over 20 mph – with its impressive array of medical equipment and services, including digital radiology, medical and optometry labs, a pharmacy, a CAT scanner and two oxygen-producing plants, according to the US Navy.
It also features a helicopter landing pad and can accept patients via small boats while at sea.
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, referring earlier this month to the Comfort and its sister ship, the USNS Mercy, which was activated on the West Coast, told USNI News: