NORFOLK, Va. - In America's hour of need, two Navy hospital ships have become beacons of hope during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The San Diego-based USNS Mercy and the Norfolk-based USNS Comfort called upon to provide relief to overwhelmed healthcare systems in Los Angeles and New York City respectively.
But with relatively short notice to deploy, what did it take to make sure the ships had the supplies they needed to carry out the mission?
For the USNS Comfort, that critical piece of the puzzle fell to NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk.
In the week leading up to the Comfort's March 28 departure attended by President Trump, Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk provided fuel, food, linens, and medical supplies to the hospital ship.
A total of 286 pallets of food, valued at nearly $700,000 were loaded onto the Comfort.
More than 500,000 gallons of fuel were also delivered to the ship via barge.
The USNS Comfort is now in the New York harbor and recently changed status to begin treating patients with COVID-19.
Editor's Note: This is the first in a week-long series of reports from News 3 looking at what it took to prepare and now sustain the USNS Comfort for this important mission.
