Personal Blog #5: US Navy as Humanitarian Responders

Currently I am watching the Army-Navy Football game!  Both my parents are United States Naval Academy Graduates (’86 and ’90), and my dad is still on Active Duty and step-mom is on Active Duty Reserves.  So GO NAVY BEAT ARMY!  Anyway, this made me think about my blogs and if there was any possibility I could write a personal blog about the United States Navy and their way of helping with the humanitarian effort across the globe.  I called my dad to ask him some questions about the Navy and humanitarian response, since I have only been on Active Duty for a little less than 2 years and he has 20+ years of experience and knowledge.   First, he asked me why I was calling during the game and if this can wait til after the game?  I told him just a few questions after I said GO NAVY!

He said that USNS Hospital Ships Comfort and Mercy.  Just a brief terminology lesson, USNS stands for United States Navy Ship which are non commissioned ships that are property of the US Navy.  They are usually auxiliary support vessels and operated by Military Sealift Command.  These ships are commanded and crewed by civilians.  Commissioned ships have the prefix USS and are crewed by Navy personnel and officers.

The USNS Comfort is not the first ship of her class and ability to be part of the United States Navy.  If anyone would fire at the medical ships would be committing an act of war and the ship does carry weapons for self-defense.  This ship was once a oil tanker but was rebuilt into the hospital ship it is known as today. 

It is used to provide emergency, on-site care for the US combatant forces deployed in war zones or operations.  They are also used as a mobile surgical hospital service for U.S. government agencies in disaster or humanitarian relief or limited humanitarian care incident to these missions or peacetime military operations.

Although this hospital ship may be far from land or in an area that does not have the ability to supply first class medical attention, this ship has that ability.  Just to give you some numbers about this ship it has over 1000 beds (varying from intensive care, recovery wards, light care, and limited care wards).  The ship has many departments like, casualty reception, intensive care, radiological services, medical supply/pharmacy, dental, optometry, morgue, laundry, and many others.  It also has a flight deck that can handle the world’s largest military helicopters. 

This ship has been deployed to many different operations and to respond to different emergencies.  It was deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom, for Joint Task Force Katrina, and Haiti, and even responding to the NYC Harbor to help with the victims from the World Trade Center.  The USNS hospital ships might be protected by other ships and aircraft carrier.  The video I am posting shows some of the obstacles even the United States Navy and other Military units faced in Haiti but was able to overcome those obstacles.