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USNS Comfort History
Medical Treatment Facility Comfort History

USNS Comfort Menu

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Comfort History

History:
Comfort is the second of two Mercy-class hospital ships. A converted San Clemente-class supertanker, Comfort delivered to the Navy’s Military Sealift Command Dec. 1, 1987.

USNS Comfort Recent Missions:

  • Continuing Promise 2015 – From April- September 2015, Comfort visited Barbados, Belize, Colombia, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, and Panama. CP-15 personnel treated more than 120,000 patients and conducted more than 1,200 surgeries. The homecoming also marked the first time Comfort has returned to Norfolk from a deployment since the ship shifted lay berth from Baltimore, Md. to Norfolk, Va. in 2013.
  • Continuing Promise 2011 – From April – September 2011, Comfort served as the platform for humanitarian and civic assistance missions in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Nicaragua and Peru. During the mission, shipboard medical personnel treated more than 67,000 people.
  • Operation Unified Response – Comfort deployed to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 16 - March 19, 2010, to provide critical medical care to those affected by the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck the island nation Jan. 12. Comfort’s medical personnel treated 871 patients and performed 843 surgeries. Comfort departed Baltimore only 77 hours after receiving orders to activate Jan. 13.
  • Continuing Promise 2009 – From April - July 2009, Comfort served as the platform for humanitarian and civic assistance missions in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Antigua and Barbuda, Panama, Colombia, El Salvador and Nicaragua. During the mission, shipboard medical personnel treated more than 100,000 people.
  • Continuing Promise 2007 – From June - October 2007, Comfort served as a platform for humanitarian and civic assistance missions in Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Suriname. During the mission, shipboard medical personnel treated more than 98,000 people.
  • Hurricanes Katrina and Rita – From September - October 2005, Comfort deployed to provide medical assistance to Pascagoula, Miss., and New Orleans following the devastation of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Comfort’s medical crew provided treatment to nearly 1,500 people.
  • Operation Iraqi Freedom – From January - June 2003, Comfort deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. During 56 days in the Persian Gulf, Comfort served as an afloat trauma center and provided expert medical care to nearly 700 wounded U.S. military personnel.
  • Operation Noble Eagle – Comfort activated the afternoon of Sept. 11, 2001, in response to the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. From Sept. 14 - Oct. 1, Comfort was pierside in Manhattan where the ship’s crew provided meals, housing, and medical services to relief workers at ground zero.
  • Operation Uphold Democracy – From September - October 1994, Comfort deployed to provide combat surgical support for U.S. contingency operations in Haiti off the city of Port-au-Prince. Comfort medical personnel provided a 250-bed hospital facility for the 35,000 Cuban and Haitian migrants and assisted in an effort to rebuild the local health care system.
  • Operation Sea Signal – From June - August 1994, Comfort arrived at Kingston, Jamaica, to function as the first-ever U.S. afloat migrant processing center for Haitian migrants. Comfort provided basic support services, and the medical crew aboard the ship established one operating room and a 50-bed inpatient capability.
  • Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm – From August 1990 - April 1991, Comfort deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of operations to treat wounded U.S. military personnel. The ship’s medical personnel saw more than 8,000 outpatients, admitted 700 inpatients and performed 337 complex surgical procedures.

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