Unable to travel to Los Angeles to assist with infection surge.
The USNS Mercy is in maintenance in Oregon, unable to respond to the call from California officials seeking to relieve hospitals that are filled with coronavirus patients. As Los Angeles deals with a surge in COVID-19 cases, officials had requested the Navy’s West Coast hospital ship to back up their overwhelmed healthcare system.
Military Sealift Command spokesman Tom Van Leunen said, “The hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) is currently located at Vigor Industrial shipyard, Portland, Oregon… where it has been undergoing a major overhaul since July 2020.” He said several significant upgrades, including those to the flight deck and propulsion system, are being made to the ship to ensure its service lifespan through 2036. Completion of the maintenance is expected to take a couple of months.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For California officials seeking assistance with the surge in hospitalizations.
- For healthcare workers overwhelmed by the spike in COVID cases.
- For those performing maintenance on the Navy hospital ship.
Sources: USNI.org, Military.com
