The USNS Mercy is the largest hospital ship in the United States, equipped with 1,000 hospital beds and 12 operating rooms. The ship is currently visiting Vietnam as part of the Pacific Partnership 2022 program.
The USNS Mercy (T-AH19), operated by the United States Military Sealift Command, has docked at Vung Ro Port in Phu Yen, Vietnam, marking its first stop in the Pacific Partnership 2022 (PP22) program, as announced in a press release from the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam on June 19.
Originally launched in 1976 in San Diego, California, the ship was initially an oil tanker designated as the SS Worth. In July 1984, the vessel was renamed and converted into a hospital ship, officially entering naval service in November 1986.
According to Global Security, the conversion process from an oil tanker to a hospital ship took 35 months and cost $208 million. The USNS Mercy is classified as the third-largest class of ship in the U.S. Navy, following the nuclear aircraft carriers of the Nimitz and Gerald Ford classes.
The primary mission of the USNS Mercy is to provide flexible medical support and emergency surgical services to combat forces across the Navy, Air Force, and Army. The ship also conducts emergency surgical missions at the request of U.S. representatives abroad in disaster situations or humanitarian relief efforts.
Measuring 272 meters in length and displacing 69,390 tons, the USNS Mercy is equipped with approximately 1,000 hospital beds and 12 operating rooms.
The ship has participated in numerous urgent humanitarian relief operations, including humanitarian missions following the 2003 tsunami in Southeast Asia, Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in 2013, and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
