Nias Island, Indonesia (18 July 2006): The Military Sealift Command (MSC) hospital ship - USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) - shown off the coast of Gunungsitoli City, Nias Island. Commissioned into the United States Navy on 08 November 1986, she has a displacement of 69,360 tons; an overall length of 894 feet and has a maximum speed of 17.5 kts. She contains twelve fully-equipped operating rooms, digital radiological services, a diagnostic & clinical laboratory, a pharmacy, an optometry lab, a cat scan, two oxygen producing plants and a 1000 bed hospital facility, which are broken down as the following;
• Intensive Care Ward: 80 Beds
• Recovery Ward: 20 Beds
• Intermediate Wards: 280 Beds
• Light Care Wards: 180 Beds
• Limited Care Wards: 500 Beds
USNS Mercy has a helicopter deck capable of landing large military helicopters, as well as side ports to take on patients at sea. She has a crew of 61 civilian mariners, 956 naval medical staff and 259 naval support staff. Normally she is kept in a reduced operating status in San Diego, California by a small crew of civilian mariners and active duty US Navy medical & support personnel. She can however be fully activated and crewed within five days. Image Courtesy - Edward G. Martens, Chief Mass Communications Specialist, US Navy.
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