NEW YORK - The Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort, sent to relieve stress on New York City hospitals at the height the pandemic, was to have discharged or transferred its last 12 patients this past weekend as it nears the end of its mission, according to Northwell Health, which provides operational assistance to the vessel. Comfort, docked at a Manhattan pier since March 30, will soon leave for its homeport in Norfolk, Va., where it will restock and ready for another potential assignment, says Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman. He did not provide a date for the ship’s departure. As of Saturday, the hospital ship had treated 182 patients. There was one patient aboard as of late Saturday evening. Hoffman said Comfort’s impending departure “is a sure sign of modest progress in mitigating the virus in the nation’s hardest hit city and is a welcome sign.” (Source: The AP 04/26/20)
Shipbuilding and maritime related news from the Central Gulf Coast region
