Fort Schuyler Magazine Spring 2020

photo: USNS Comfort- Andrew Kelly/Reuters

ALUMNI BRING COMFORT IN A TIME OF GREAT NEED

BY BRIDGET BENDO ’96

O n the morning of Monday, March 30, 2020, the USNS Comfort (T-AH 20), an 894-foot hospital ship operated by approximately 70 merchant mariners of Military Sealift Command (MSC), sailed into New York Harbor to provide much-needed support and increased medical capacity to the overwhelmed NYC hospitals in the wake of our nation’s COVID-19 pandemic. Over 1,100 medical professionals serving active duty and Naval Reserve were on board to provide quality care to patients. Alumni serving as MSC officers onboard included Megan Maron ’13, Caroline (Blaise) Hickey ’12, Nathan Grant ’13, Victor Deveso ’14, John Lovell ’15, Brian Murray ’18, Jonathan Low ’18, Peter Rose ’11. Prior to this mission, USNS Comfort had just completed a major maintenance period after returning in November from a 154-day mission that had included 14 different country mission stops. In the spirit of the vessel’s humanitarian service, treatments onboard come free-of- charge. The last time this hospital

ship was docked in NYC was during 9/11 when she was on standby as a trauma hospital but wound up serving as berthing and first aid care for first responders. Since then, she and her sistership USNS Mercy have treated more than 550,000 patients, according to the Navy. Although USNS Comfort’s initial purpose during this mission had been to relieve hospitals by caring for non-COVID-19 patients, it was quickly determined that she would be better utilized for the treatment of the overflow of COVID-19 patients. USNS Comfort served her mission throughout the peak of the epidemic experienced by New York. She departed on April 30, 2020 returning to her homeport at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. On March 27, the sistership of the USNS Comfort, the USNS Mercy (T-AH 19), arrived in Long Beach, California from her Naval Base San Diego. She is a contemporary of the USS Mercy (AH-8) which served as the College’s Training Ship Empire State III from 1956–1959.

As Captain of the Port of Norfolk, Kevin Carroll ’94, (right) USCG Commander for Coast Guard Sector Virginia, led the inspection of USNS Comfort to ensure the safety of the vessel before she departed Naval Station Norfolk on March 28, 2020 headed for New York City.

First Assistant Engineer Caroline (Blaise) Hickey ’12 returns the warm greeting to the plane welcoming the vessel as she arrives in New York. The banner reads, “Thank you, USNS Comfort! USA-Strong.”

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