Hailey Tran
Hospital ships are vessels designated as floating medical treatment facilities or hospitals. They are primarily operated by military forces, mostly navies, and are used in or near war zones. The first purpose-built hospital ship in the U.S. Navy was the USS Relief, commissioned in 1921. Today, the U.S. Navy has two large hospital ships in its fleet: the USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort. These ships have been instrumental in providing medical care and supporting humanitarian and disaster relief efforts, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the Navy has announced plans to introduce a new class of expeditionary medical ships, with the first ship named USNS Bethesda, which will be faster, more maneuverable, and better suited for intense combat situations.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of hospital ships | 2 |
| Names of the hospital ships | USNS Comfort, USNS Mercy |
| Home base | Norfolk, VA (Comfort); San Diego, CA (Mercy) |
| Number of operating rooms | 12 |
| Number of beds | 1,000 |
| Number of ICU beds | 88 |
| Number of isolation ward beds | 11 |
| Other facilities | Radiological services, a 5,000-unit blood bank, a full medical laboratory, pharmacy and optometry labs, and two oxygen-producing plants |
| Upcoming hospital ship | USNS Bethesda |
| Length of USNS Bethesda | 361 feet |
| Speed of USNS Bethesda | 30 knots |
| Range of USNS Bethesda | 5,000 nautical miles at 18+ knots |
| Upcoming ship's size compared to predecessors | 1/3 to 1/2 the size of Mercy-class hospital ships |
| Upcoming ship's speed compared to predecessors | Faster than predecessors |
| Upcoming ship's manoeuvrability compared to predecessors | More manoeuvrable than predecessors |
| Upcoming ship's draft | 15 feet |
| Upcoming ship's purpose | To supplement the US Navy's Enhanced Doctrine for Medical Support to Expeditionary Forces |
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What You'll Learn
The US Navy currently has two hospital ships
The USNS Mercy and Comfort have been used for disaster relief and humanitarian operations worldwide, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the Mercy was ported in Los Angeles, and the Comfort in New York, to serve as hospitals for patients without the virus. This allowed local facilities to focus on treating those who were infected. The ships are converted from medium-size oil tanker hulls and are operated by civilian crews employed by the Military Sealift Command.
The US Navy has announced plans to add a new class of expeditionary medical ships to its fleet. The first of these ships will be the USNS Bethesda, which will be faster and more manoeuvrable than the larger USNS Mercy and Comfort. The USNS Bethesda will be 361 feet long, compared to the 894 feet of the Mercy and Comfort, and will have a draft of 15 feet, allowing it to access shallow ports. It will be able to travel at speeds of up to 30 knots and will have a range of 5,000 nautical miles at 18 knots. The new ship will not replace the existing hospital ships but will supplement them and will be better suited for close-quarters, intense combat situations.
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The USS Gerald R. Ford has an on-board hospital
The US Navy has a varied fleet of hospital ships, including the USNS Mercy, the USNS Comfort, and the USNS Bethesda. These ships are used for combat operations, disaster relief, and humanitarian operations.
The USS Gerald R. Ford is an aircraft carrier with an on-board hospital. The ship's medical capabilities include an operating room, a three-bed intensive care unit, a two-bed emergency room, and a 41-bed hospital ward. The medical team consists of 11 medical officers and 30 hospital corpsmen, led by Senior Medical Officer, Capt. Kimberly Toone. The corpsmen are trained to respond to any medical emergency on the ship within three minutes.
The Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier is the first in its class and was constructed at Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia. The ship is named after former President Gerald R. Ford and was estimated to cost $13 billion, with $5 billion dedicated to research and development and $8 billion to build the ship. The carrier can sustain 160 sorties per day for over 30 days and has a surge capability of 270 sorties per day.
The USS Gerald R. Ford is an impressive vessel with a comprehensive on-board hospital, capable of providing medical care to its crew and responding to emergencies effectively.
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USNS Mercy and Comfort: 1000-bed hospital ships
The USNS Mercy and Comfort are two hospital ships operated by the US Military Sealift Command. Each ship contains 12 fully-equipped operating rooms, a 1,000-bed hospital facility, digital radiological services, a diagnostic and clinical laboratory, a pharmacy, an optometry lab, a CT scan, and two oxygen-producing plants. Both ships are converted San Clemente-class supertankers.
The USNS Mercy is the US Navy's West Coast hospital ship. It is a Panamax-sized, converted San Clemente-class oil tanker that is now a mobile 1,000-bed hospital. It is fully equipped with a flight deck, casualty receiving, radiology, surgery, laboratory, dental, optometry, physical therapy, and other functions. In 2016, the USNS Mercy was anchored off the coast of Legazpi, Philippines, during its second stop of Pacific Partnership 2016. It also conducted a humanitarian and civic assistance deployment to South and Southeast Asia, where its crew treated thousands of people.
The USNS Comfort is a Mercy-class hospital ship. It was activated in December 2002 and sailed to the Arabian Gulf to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. It provided housing, laundry, food, medical, and other services to volunteers and rescue personnel for nearly three weeks in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The Comfort was also deployed to New York during the COVID-19 pandemic, although it faced criticism for only treating a small number of patients.
The USNS Bethesda is a new class of expeditionary medical ship that will be added to the US Navy's fleet. It will be smaller and more maneuverable than the USNS Mercy and Comfort, with a draft of only 15 feet, allowing access to shallow ports. The USNS Bethesda will be faster, with a maximum speed of 30 knots and the ability to maintain speeds of over 18 knots for more than 5,000 nautical miles.
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USNS Bethesda: a new, smaller hospital ship
The US Navy currently has two large hospital ships in its fleet: the USNS Mercy and the USNS Comfort. Both ships are 894 feet long and are equipped with 12 fully-equipped operating rooms and a 1,000-bed hospital facility, including 88 ICU beds and 11 isolation ward beds.
In May 2023, the US Navy announced the addition of a new, smaller hospital ship to its fleet: the USNS Bethesda. Named after the Navy's military base in Maryland, which houses the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the USNS Bethesda will be faster and more agile than the larger ships currently in the fleet. It will measure 361 feet in length and will be more manoeuvrable, with a draft of only 15 feet, allowing access to what the Navy calls "shallow, austere ports". The USNS Bethesda will be capable of maintaining speeds in excess of 18 knots for more than 5,000 nautical miles.
The USNS Bethesda is a new class of expeditionary medical ship (EMS) being constructed by Austal USA, a subsidiary of the Australian shipbuilder Austal. It is designed to provide swift, high-level medical care at sea and in coastal areas, including hospital-level critical care, humanitarian aid, disaster response, and support for special operations. The ship's design is based on Austal's EPF ship, and its primary function is to provide swift medical care for distributed maritime operations (DMOs).
The USNS Bethesda will offer a comprehensive range of medical services, including triage, critical care, surgical facilities, medical labs, radiology, blood banks, dental care, mental health services, obstetrics and gynaecology, primary care, rapid stabilisation, and evacuation of casualties. The ship will also be equipped with two 11-meter rigid-hulled inflatable boats for the transfer of patients from other ships or water rescue, and its flight deck will accommodate a single V-22 or an H-53/H-60 helicopter.
The addition of the USNS Bethesda to the US Navy's fleet demonstrates the military's commitment to adapting to the evolving challenges of combat and its priority in ensuring the swift delivery of advanced medical care to those in need.
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![1920 Edition of the U. S. NAVY COOKBOOK (1920 Navy Cook Book FOR USE ON BOARD VESSELS OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY. [Student Loose Leaf Facsimile Edition. Re-Imaged from Original for Greater Clarity.]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91FOCS0BdJL._AC_UL320_.jpg)
The first US Navy hospital ship was USS Relief
The US Navy currently has two dedicated hospital ships in its fleet, the USNS Mercy and the USNS Comfort, which are based in San Diego and Norfolk, VA, respectively. Both ships are equipped with 12 fully-equipped operating rooms, a 1,000-bed hospital facility, 88 ICU beds, a full medical laboratory, a pharmacy, and two oxygen-producing plants. In addition to these two ships, the US Navy has announced plans to add a new class of expeditionary medical ship, the USNS Bethesda, to its fleet.
The US Navy has a long history of using hospital ships, dating back to the 1800s. The USS Relief (AH-1), commissioned on December 28, 1920, was the first purpose-built hospital ship in the US Navy. The Relief was unique in that it was the only naval vessel constructed specifically as a floating hospital, boasting amenities comparable to modern hospitals at the time, including large corridors and elevators for transporting patients, fully equipped surgical operating rooms, and wards.
The Relief played a crucial role in World War II, admitting 16,159 patients and evacuating over 10,000 wounded service members from campaigns across the Pacific Theater. She served as a hospital ship for the Pacific Fleet and participated in fleet battle problems extending from Alaska to Hawaii. During this period, she provided essential medical support to the fleet, admitting 1,329 patients and discharging 693 from March to June 1944.
The Relief's service extended beyond the Pacific, as she later participated in the repatriation of American POWs and served as a stationary hospital for the 1st Marine Division in China. Her contributions to military nursing are also notable, as she was the first US Navy ship to include special quarters for Navy nurses, sailing with eleven nurses on board in 1921.
The Relief's legacy in Navy medicine is significant, and she holds a special place in the history of US Navy hospital ships. Her design and capabilities set a new standard for naval medical care, and her service during World War II demonstrated the crucial role of hospital ships in supporting military operations and providing care for the sick and wounded.
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Frequently asked questions
The US Navy currently has two hospital ships in its fleet: the USNS Mercy and the USNS Comfort. Both ships have 1,000 beds each and have been used for humanitarian and disaster relief missions, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The US Navy has announced plans to build a new class of expeditionary medical ships that will be faster and more manoeuvrable than the current Mercy and Comfort vessels. The first ship in this new class has been named the USNS Bethesda, and it will be smaller and have a shallower draft, allowing it to access more ports.
Hospital ships are protected by the Second Geneva Convention of 1949, which prohibits military attacks on hospital ships that meet specified requirements. However, belligerent forces have the right to inspect hospital ships and may take patients, but not staff, as prisoners of war. Additionally, according to the San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea, belligerents can search a hospital ship to investigate violations of legal restrictions and take action if the ship persists in violating those restrictions.
