Mercy class

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Mercy class
USNS Mercy
USNS Mercy
Ship data
country United StatesUnited States (national flag) United States
Ship type Hospital ship
Construction period 1974 to 1976
Launch of the type ship July 1, 1975
Units built 2
period of service Since 1986
Ship dimensions and crew
length
272.6 m ( Lüa )
width 32.3 m
Draft Max. 10 m
displacement 70,473 t
 
crew 321 to 1,277 men
Machine system
machine 2 steam boilers
2 steam turbines
Machine
performance 		24,500 hp (18,020 kW)
Top
speed 		17.5 kn (32 km / h)
propeller 1

The Mercy class consists of two hospital ships of the US Navy , by the Military Sealift Command operate and there to the Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force include (NFAF). They serve to ensure comprehensive care for sick and wounded US soldiers around the world . However, the ships are also used in humanitarian operations.

Both “floating hospitals ” were built as total conversions from large oil tankers of the San Clemente class .

equipment

Operations room aboard the USNS Mercy
Intensive care room aboard the USNS Mercy

The ships have a capacity of 1,000 hospital beds, 80 of which are in intensive care . Twelve fully equipped operating theaters , an emergency room , state-of-the-art radiology facilities such as CT and MRT , pharmacy , morgue , laboratories and therapy facilities , dental practices and opticians are also available. In addition, they have two plants for the production of clinically pure oxygen . The crew consists of 63 officers and 258 sailors. The medical staff on board during missions amounts to 956. A large helicopter platform allows the landing of all types of helicopters. However, injured persons can also be brought in by boats.

history

An Australian helicopter lands on the USNS Mercy hospital ship off the town of Dili
The USNS Mercy in front of Jolo

During the Desert Shield and Desert Storm operations , they came on their first emergency mission off the coast of Saudi Arabia . Several hundred soldiers were treated and around 300 operations were carried out. In addition to numerous large-scale maneuvers, the ships are also regularly used in humanitarian disasters , such as B. the Mercy after the seaquake in the Indian Ocean in 2004 or the Comfort in the Gulf of Mexico after the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina . The Comfort was deployed in Haiti immediately after the devastating earthquake on January 12, 2010 . Both ships were activated in March 2020 to supplement hospital supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic . The Mercy was sent to Los Angeles , the Comfort to New York . The aim here was to provide support for people not suffering from COVID-19.

technology

The displacement is 70,473  tons (69,360 ts ). The ship is 272.6 m long, with a width of 32.3 m and a draft of 10 m. It is driven by two General Electric - steam turbines with a total of 24,500 horsepower on a wave . The maximum speed of the ships is 17.5  knots .

Ship list

number Surname formerly new use fleet home port Callsign IMO number
T-AH 19 USNS Mercy Worth December 19, 1986 NFAF San Diego, CA NMER 7390454
T-AH 20 USNS Comfort Rose City November 30, 1987 NFAF Baltimore, MD NCOM 7390478

Web links

Commons : Mercy class  - collection of images, videos, and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ US Aid to Haiti - Race Against Death. Spiegel Online , accessed January 18, 2010 .
  2. ^ SD-Based Navy Hospital Ship to Aid Non-Coronavirus Patients in Los Angeles. NBC San Diego, accessed March 23, 2020 .
  3. ↑ Patient Care ( Memento from March 23, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ↑ Patient Care ( Memento from March 23, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ↑ Patient Care ( Memento from March 23, 2010 in the Internet Archive )