Mercy and Comfort: A History of Hospital Ships 

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My mom served on the maiden voyage of the USNS Mercy. She was an Air Force EMT originally stationed at Langley before she got this honor. So cool to see you do a video on my moms ship!

Whew...So many stories in this one that deserve their own segment..

Fantastic blend of current events and history!

Well done. I had no idea the concepts of “mercy” and “comfort” had such a rich naval history, all the way up to the modern namesakes. To the proud USNavy and civilian crews, thank you so much for your service. Love from a retired Registered Nurse.

Funny thing I was stationed in USNS mercy from 1997 - 2000 when assigned to duty at the Naval hospital Balboa in San Diego. The ship inside I massive. For it was a challenge to conduct fire control operations on board as well as inventory over 100,000 line items within 8 of it's massive storeroom. What I do remember most is the ship was always cold and there was never any hot water. One experience among Manny in 20 years of being enlisted in the US Navy. Thanks for the love provided to these vessels not to many know about or know existence. Keep up the good work. Retired storekeeper first class signing off.

Beautiful simply beautiful!!! I server on the USNHS MERCY in 1987 as part of a US Army medical detachment for six. Nice to see that handsome lady again. Thank you!!!

I recently had the privilege of meeting a USN surgeon assigned to the Comfort. May God bless them all for their service.

A worthy effort. An uncle of mine was a "conscientious objector" and was sent to work on a hospital ship. He actually saw more action than most as the ship was sunk.

I WAS A PATIENT ON THE HOSPITAL SHIP "SANCTUARY" IN 1968 OFF THE COAST OF VIETNAM...

As a nurse in the UK NHS I found this episode to be particularly interesting and just full of information I would never have known. Once again thank you history guy

I love how you use current events to bring forth these histories... History is always relevant to today.

My mum was expatriated from England to Australia as a young child aboard the AHS Centaur, she remembers "lots of soldiers" on board,, this was the trip before the Centaur's sinking..... Hundreds of young British kids were taken away from danger and basically adopted by Aussie families.

My first duty station after graduating from U.S. Navy Hospital Corps School was on the USNHS Repose AH-16. Was good to see her again in your presentation. Thank-you.

When the latest USNS Mercy was built she was initially stationed in alameda California and was under the jurisdiction of the Oakland Naval Hospital. I was a firefighter at that hospital and we did the fire inspections for the ship as well.

I remember being on the USNS Comfort several times when it was stationed at Baltimore and Norfolk and even though aged, it was an incredible ship. We were on there for training exercises and it was amazing to watch and train with the crew.

WOW!! Well done. I work for the Military Sealift Command and just yesterday certified the flight deck and military flight deck crew for rotary wing flight operations. Thank you for sharing.

How the heck did you put this whole video together so fast?! Stay safe everyone, please donate to your local homeless shelters and food banks! 🖖🗺❤🕊

I was stationed in Japan during the 2004 tsunami and remember making a few trips to transport people to/from the Mercy...

I am truly sorry mate for the grief and pain that as nation you all must bear , please keep yourself and your family safe.

The Danish merchant vessel, the M/S Jutlandia was commissioned as a hospitalship during the Korea war to help the allies.

Truly deserves to be remembered

When recalling the Liverpool Blitz in 1941 my Mother always spoke with sadness about the red crossed funnels of sunken hospital ships in the Mersey.

Mercy has arrived in LA.

My father was an officer on an APA and said that seeing a hospital ship (USS Comfort (AH-6)) get hit by a kamakasi was the worst thing he saw in the war.

All history teachers and professors need to be as engaging and detail oriented as you.

My best friend from high school was a pharmacy tech in the 90's, and I believe one of the ships he served on was the USS Comfort in the Persian Gulf after Desert Storm.

Sailed on the Comfort in 2009. Wonderful ship!! Thanks for spotlighting her, her sister, and their forebears!

I was on the Comfort in 2005 for Hurricane Katrina Relief. Operation Southern Comfort.

That was probably one of the most interesting episodes yet. I liked how you discussed the history of hospital ships from different countries such as the UK, USSR, Australia and the USA.

Those two ships have the most appropriate names ever! My Mom was an RN. I remember the time she got correspondence from the Army about enlisting in their medical corps. At the time Mom was past the age limit though, but I thought it was cool that the Army reached out to Mom like that. I'm from San Diego, the home port of the Mercy. To all personnel on her and the Comfort, take care, be safe and thank you for your selfless service. 🏩🏩🏩🏩🏩🏩

Thank you for continuing to bring History that deserves to be remembered!

I like that you added some hospital ships from other countries as well.

Thank you for another excellent episode. As we are locked down in Oklahoma many people I know are using your episodes as part of home school history training. Thank you for your research and work.

Always learning I’m Canadian and have never heard of that cowardly attack and why was Danzig a safe city thanks history guy

I want to thank you for the content you provide. This is both timeless and relevant. I hope all the parents that have suddenly been thrust into the deep end of homeschooling will see your videos for what they are, an invaluable and fascinating resource to teach our kids the forgotten and ignored history of humanity that so often gets passed over in our schools in the name of teaching to a test.

Always loved the hospital ocean liners, their all white hills and yellow funnels were always so striking to me

Thank You History Guy. I am doing "Essential" work (someone has to keep things running and the economy ticking). I look forward to watching your excellent videos during my breaks.

Well done! I had seen the Mercy a few weeks back (prior to the quarantine) while staying at North Island. When I laid eyes on that beautiful ship I never thought it would deploy to help with the response to the outbreak. What I am trying to say is that I couldn't imagine it would get this bad!

I helped build both those ships when I worked at NASSCO. They are fantastic ships. Whenever I see them doing what they’re doing like right now it does send a sense of pride that I was somehow involved in making it happen.

I was on the USS Repose (AH-16) for her final cruise. We took a liberty tour after leaving Vietnam and docked in Kobe and went to the 1970 Worlds Fair in Osaka. Rode her all the way back to CONUS where I left her in dry dock in Long Beach where she was to be converted into an auxiliary hospital.

My grandfather was evacuated on the S.S.Maheno from Gallopoli to England in late August 1915. Fast forward to Nov 2018. My mother and I were travelling to see her very elderly sister and stopped at a cafe for a rest break. I had with me my grandfathers memoirs of WW1 because the 100 year anniversary of the armistice was being remembered. A couple of mature well dressed ladies from Australia were also at the cafe. On the back of their shirts were proudly worn the wording S.S. MAHENO. We struck up a conversation and asked about the wording. They replied that they had been a hundred miles further down the coast the day before to participate in a ceremony and placing a plaque at Maheno (a small coastal town) remembering the men and this hospital ship. They were stunned when we explained that my grandfather and of coarse my mother's father was rescued by that very ship. It made for a very moving moment. it was quite extrordinary timing, even to have writings on me and the ladies explained about the ship remains on Frazer Island near Brisbane. Later my grandfather was torpedoed on the S.S. Transylvania May 5th 1917 but survived to later be badly wounded in Palestine and was medivaced back to New Zealand during the end of 1917.

My brother was on the Comfort,He was one of the Doc that set up the OR... Awesome ship

As a longtime member of the MERCY crew (and longtime channel subscriber), thanks for this! It's always great to see our old gals get the spotlight.

"Jersey is a prison," your not wrong bud.

They are massive, I remember when they visited Halifax, Nova Scotia! Massive!

Good luck sailors and stay safe God bless My cousin deployed while he was a Navy corpsman on the USS comfort during the nineteen ninety-one Gulf.

My Grandmother worked on the USS Mercy built in California during WWII.

Thank you for telling their story. I spent over a year of my career aboard USNS Comfort. Deploying for humanitarian relief and disaster response to Haiti. They are amazing vessels. Thank you again.

Anchor bowtie is a nice accessory to the segment. It is that attention to detail that is part of the reason I enjoy your channel so much.

Love your work history team! 🙂 We're on quarantine in New Zealand.

I finally signed up for a MagellanTV. No commercials. Lots of balanced foreign sources for production and direction. Quality at last. I haven't watched American TV since 2002 by choice and I don't miss it.

Thanks so very much for this video. God bless our hard working hospital workers and other care givers.

I remember watching both the Comfort and Mercy being converted from oil tankers by NASSCO, the San Diego shipyard that originally built them as tankers.

My grandmother travelled out to Malta on HMHS Britannic on her last voyage. When the ship was sunk on her way to Mudros, my grandmother was one of the doctors added to the staff of HMHS Gruntully Castle. As she climbed the brow for the first time, she noticed a tall officer "trying to get a squizz" at her ankles. They were married in Malta before being separated by the vagaries of war. My grandmother remained in the Mediterranean theatre while my grandfathet went on to switch services, serve at a field hospital during the Battle of Cambrai before becoming the senior doctor at Netley Hospital, the biggest (in U.S. terms) repatriation hospital in the U.K. right through the 1919 'flu pandemic. Thank you for a particularly interesting instalment.

Reminds me of the old school History Channel..... Keep it up sir.

Perhaps you could do a video about the U.S. Army hospital trains of WW2 and Korea. I once worked on one of the old hospital cars for American Orient Express RR. The nurses and doctors who worked on those trains deserve to be remembered.

This was terrific! I'm a history enthusiast from Norfolk Va. Love your videos. I've been subscribed for a while now. One of my music students is the wife of one of the docs on the Comfort. They ship out any minute now. I'll. Share this on FB and with my Navy friends. (My family has a rich history of being in "Norfolk" (Princess Anne County) since 1640 or so)

.... not all ships sailing "In Harm's Way" ... are painted in warship grey ... some are painted white. Vaya Con Dius ... Calm Seas and Safe Voyages ...

I served as an officer onboard HMAS SYDNEY (FFG-03, an Australian modified Oliver Hazard Perry class FFG) in the Gulf war. Both USNS COMFORT and USNS MERCY were deployed for Desert Storm... What I remember most was the T-shirt from USNS COMFORT... which had a picture of the ship, and the slogan "No Mercy"...lol

Thanks History Guy. My Dad served on the USNHS Repose during the Korean War. Good to see her in the presentation.

USNS Mercy: HEROES NEVER DIE!

I deployed with the mercy in 06 for operation unified assistance. Shes a beautiful ship and I'm glad shes going to help LA .

I served aboard the USS Sanctuary in 1970. For a ship that was built in 1944 it held up well except for that leak in medical supply they could never find. We had a great ship's crew and the doctors, nurses and corpsmen were first rate.

It took me a while to get used to you because of your lack of a British accent. Now you're my absolute go to for history and I thank you so much for making all these and my nine-year-old son loves them also!!

@The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered interesting fact Navy Recruit Training Command's, aka Navy Boot Camp, the clinic is called Red Rover in remembrance of the USS Red Rover.

BAP Puno (ABH-306) is a Peruvian Navy hospital ship on Lake Titicaca. It was built in 1862, launched in 1873 and converted into a hospital ship in 1976. I believe this makes Puno the oldest, smallest and highest hospital ship in the world, and the only one which is powered by dried llama dung.

The only thing to said thanks for your service and God Bless to all the crew and medical personal

Thank you, History Guy! The US military works hard in peacetime and is much appreciated for bringing us "Hope" and "Mercy" when we need it.

During WWII the Dutch operated 3 Hospital ships in the pacific. Oranje MV Oranje was a handsome passenger liner of 20,017 grt. built in Holland in 1939; she is credited with a trial speed of 26.5 knots. After her second passenger voyage to the Dutch East Indies Germany had invaded Holland and Oranje was laid up in Batavia from December 1939 until February 1941 when she was ordered to Sydney. Her master was instructed to hand the ship over the ASCB for conversion to a hospital ship at Dutch Government expense, which was completed at Sydney’s Cockatoo Island Dockyard on 30 July 1941. Oranje began service with her original crew of Dutch officers and Javanese sailors but a lack of enthusiasm for warfare by the Javanese meant that most of them were eventually replaced, first by Australian merchant seaman, and then by those from New Zealand. Throughout her service she continued to fly the Dutch flag. As HS1, Oranje worked as far afield as Port Tewfik in the Middle East and in the Indian Ocean and Pacific theatres. During more than four years as a hospital ship she made 41 voyages with war wounded, carrying a total of some 32,460 patients and steaming 382,000 nautical miles. She was returned to her owners on 19 July 1946 and was soon in use on Dutch repatriation duties between Holland and the Dutch East Indies. She was later to become the Italian passenger liner Angela Lauro and for a number of years brought migrants to Australia. This grand old lady sank while on her way to ship breakers on 30 November 1994. Maetsuycker After evacuating from the Dutch East Indies to Australia, the KLM inter-island passenger ship Maetsuycker of 4,137 grt. was used with MV Tasman during 1942 and 1943, transferring US forces which had crossed the Pacific aboard the troopship RMS Queen Elizabeth to New Guinea. During this period the officers of the two small Dutch ships were under instructions to maintain stores and fuel levels against the possibility of needing to evacuate Dutch nationals from an Australia under full Japanese invasion. During 1944 Maetsuycker was fitted out as a close-support hospital ship for use in the South Pacific area. Her role was to evacuate casualties from the battle area to hospitals in secure areas. The ship could carry 250 patients and up to 500 mobile injured. Medical staff came from the US Army 196th Station Hospital with Dutch ship’s officers and Javanese sailors. Some replacements from the Australian merchant marine were later involved. The ship was under the administrative control of the Australian Shipping Control Board. Through 1944 the two small ships worked from places as diverse as Oro Bay, Milne Bay, Finchhafen, Lae, Aitape and Hollandia. On 23 June 1944 Maetsuycker sailed from Hollandia for Biak and Oui then to Aitape to collect injured. On 3 July she headed south to Australia. She was back in New Guinea before leaving for Leyte Gulf in the Philippines, arriving on 24 December 1944. Heading south once more she collected injured from Tacloban on 25-28 December and then sailed for Hollandia and thence to Australia. Maetsuycker was refitted in Australia during 1946 and was returned to Dutch control in 1947 as a unit of Royal Interocean Lines. She was scrapped in 1974. Tasman Tasman was a steamship of 5,172 grt. owned and operated by the Dutch line KPM. Being built in 1922 she was quite elderly by the time the Pacific war developed. She was in Shanghai in 1937 on a line voyage when the Japanese bombed that port, but was undamaged. She escaped damage once again in Singapore in 1941 when that port was bombed. Tasman sailed to Sydney where she was requisitioned for troop transport and was used in 1942 to carry American and Australian troops to New Guinea. On one such voyage she was in Milne Bay on the eastern end of New Guinea with the destroyer HMAS Arunta when word was received of an approaching Japanese invasion force. Both ships cleared port and reached Port Moresby safely. In 1943 Tasman was converted into a hospital ship at the cost of the US Government and was transferred to the control of the ASCB. She was fitted to carry 250 stretcher cases and was crewed by Dutch officers and Javanese sailors under the Dutch flag. The medical staff was composed mainly of US Army nurses. Tasman worked throughout the South West Pacific in the forward casualty evacuation role and was then used to evacuate ex-POWs from Japanese camps at Santo Tomas in the Philippines. Tasman returned to passenger service for KPM after July 1947 and worked on until she was scrapped in Hong Kong in 1957.

The medical building at US Navy bootcamp in Great Lakes, IL is called Red Rover in remembrance of the original vessel.

I had the honor of serving in it 3x. 2014 RIMPAK when first time ever Chinese hospital ship joined. 2015 and 2016 were humanitarian deployments. Great ship and great mission to help underdeveloped countries. We teach them while we take care of their sick and wounded. Best part was going to different countries for free and experience their culture. Great experience.

Thank you for sharing and THANK YOU to all who are serving and have served.

Learn something new every day. Did not realize the "Army" operated hospital ships. Thanks Narragansett Bay

Well, that's my Navy! Good story HG. Let's all hope that we can overcome this fight as well. You should do a story about 10-foot poles. That's what we should be using for distancing ourselves right now.

Thank you, In this dark world goodness needs to be shown by actions. The actions of hospital ships bring honor to the nations who support them. Love your channel!

This was an awesome episode. Mercy, Comfort, Sanctuary... all appropriate names for a hospital ship.

I spent a decent amount of time moored next to the USNS Comfort in Norfolk, VA. Wish I had requested a tour of it when possible.

Most timely HG, you filled in many of the questions I had concerning the roll of these ships, especially those deployed to LA and NYC. History in the making. Thanks.

In October 1999 the USMS COMFORT anchored in Puntarenas, Costa Rica which is near where I live. For a few days they worked in conjunction with our universal health care system, the CAJA, to treat 1000's of patients. Some of whom had been waiting years for an appointment. The people patiently waited in line in the very hot sun. Many even slept over night. My husband and I were 2 of the very few gringos there. Each time we saw one of the crew we thanked them for their service. It was one of the times in my life I was proud to be an American.

The USS Solace (AH-5) was at Pearl Harbor. To my knowledge the Japanese had enough decency not to attack the hospital ship on December 7th.

My father spent time on USS Repose after contracting malaria during Vietnam.

Thank you for these continued posts. They have been the highlight of my recent weeks and make our isolation just that much more bearable.

How very topical, I live in Los Angeles and the Mercy is pulling into port today! Watching history unfold.

One point: in the 17th century it cannot be the "British" Royal Navy since the United Kingdom was only founded in 1707 with the union of England and Scotland. At that point it was definitely the English Royal Navy.

I live in Hampton Roads (Yorktown); The USNS Comfort has been parked at Norfolk Naval Station the last week while loading supplies & getting the crew squared-away. You are correct that it is big - they have parked it where the aircraft carriers usually are tied up (some are apparently out at sea doing aircraft carrier stuff). My understanding is that it will be used for non-covid cases, as it is more set up for combat wounds (like broken bones) than for conditions that require patients to be isolated. But that will free up space in on-shore hospitals for virus cases. Keep up the good work PS - I used to be stationed at Scott AFB - maybe you could do a video on Mid-America airport & how it was going to be the best thing ever (April Fools day is coming). PPS - I hope Imo's pizza is still open for carryout / delivery. I could go for some right now.

Your videos give some "comfort" during this stressful time. Thank you

Mercy and Comfort will be used for the Children. God bless them

History Guy , thank you this lesson .It seems that you forgot to include the " USS Hope " . As a kid back in the 1960s I recall many TV spots that talked about her and the work that the staff performed.

Speaking of hats I had a USS Intrepid hat I also named my trailer that when I lived on a mountain for three years thanks history guy for sending this one out I always have history guy with my breakfast and a cup of coffee🤜🤛🦅🇺🇸😁

I had the privilege of visiting the USNS Mercy as a British soldier during Desert Shield when it docked at Al Jubail for a few days in late 1990. It was a truly impressive facility with ultra modern facilities and capabilities. Nice to see it is still operating and doing good.

Thank you for a wonderful video ! It gives me some comfort knowing that they are out there trying to help people that has this bug !

What an interesting time we live in.

As a boy, I remember hearing about a ship "Project Hope." it's not mentioned here but I remember being impressed at such an effort to relieve suffering. Future mention?

We need history now more than ever. This all shall pass. We are resilient.

Be safe, H. G. We really enjoy learning from you!

10:41 Great picture.

I think you accidentally called HMHS Llandovery Castle, HMAS Llandovery Castle. Aussies would never want to steal valor from our Canadian brothers.

I had the pleasure of getting a tour of the USNS Mercy, at her home in San Diego. It made most of the land based hospitals, that I had been in, in 38 years of emergency services, look like small town clinics. Great vlog!

One of the best and most thoughtful channels on the internet! Thank you sir!!!