How USNS Comfort went from a symbol of hope with the president's blessing, to heading back from NYC having treated fewer than 180 patients

Ashley CollmanApr 23, 2020, 22:04 IST

The Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort moves along the Hudson River before docking in New York City on Monday, March 30, 2020.Craig Ruttle/AP

The Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort was sent to New York City at the end of March to aid the city's overwhelmed hospitals during the coronavirus outbreak.
Three weeks later, it had just treated 179 patients, and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the city no needed it.
President Donald Trump — who personally dispatched the ship to New York City — will soon be returning to its home port in Virginia for another mission.
The ship made headlines during its short mission in New York, with multiple crew members getting sick and outrage over the initial decision not to accept coronavirus patients.
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President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced he would be sending the Navy hospital ship Comfort home from New York City, cutting short a highly-touted but anticlimactic mission.

USNS Comfort was sent to New York City — the epicenter of the US coronavirus outbreak — on March 30 to aid the city's hospitals by taking all of their non-coronavirus patients.

But it turned out that the city didn't have many non-coronavirus patients to take, with only 20 patients were admitted to the 1,000-bed hospital ship in its first day. Meanwhile, New York City hospitals were still struggling to make space for a surge of patients.

The Comfort eventually reconfigured itself into a 500-bed ship to take coronavirus patients, but never came to reaching capacity — by Tuesday, it had treated just 179 people.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday said the city no longer needed the ship, and the Comfort is now ready to sail home to Virginia for a new mission.

Scroll down for a timeline of the ship's short-lived mission.

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Meanwhile, the situation in New York appears to be improving. On Saturday, Cuomo said New York may be "past the plateau" with hospitalizations on the decline. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said that he's seeing "real progress."

The Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort passes under the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge on its way to docking in New York on March 30, 2020. Bebeto Matthews/AP

Meanwhile, the situation in New York appears to be improving. On Saturday, Cuomo said New York may be "past the plateau" with hospitalizations on the decline. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said that he's seeing "real progress."

April 23: The Comfort is still in port in New York City, even though Trump said it will be leaving as soon as possible.

The Comfort is seen docked on the west side of Manhattan on April 21, 2020. Kena Betancur/ VIEWpress via Getty

Trump admitted during a White House briefing that part of the reason the ship was never put to much use in New York City was because its arrival coincided with the opening of a temporary hospital in the Javits convention center.

John Lamparski/Getty

Trump admitted during a White House briefing that part of the reason the ship was never put to much use in New York City was because its arrival coincided with the opening of a temporary hospital in the Javits convention center.

Trump said he had taken Cuomo up on his offer and would recall the Comfort to its home port in Virginia, where it will prepare for its next posting. The new mission remains unclear.

The USNS Comfort is seen docked at Pier 90 on the west side of Manhattan on April 19. Roy Rochlin/Getty

Trump said he had taken Cuomo up on his offer and would recall the Comfort to its home port in Virginia, where it will prepare for its next posting. The new mission remains unclear.

During a meeting with the president, Cuomo said that New York no longer needed the Comfort and said it could be sent to a more hard-hit area.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, left, speaks during a press conference marking the arrival of USNS Comfort to New York City on March 30, 2020. Kathy Willens/AP

April 21: Even after moving to take coronavirus patients, the Comfort didn't come close to reaching capacity — even as the city's hospitals remained overwhelmed. As of Tuesday, the ship had treated a total of 179 patients.

A view of the USNS Comfort which is docked on pier 90, in Manhattan on April 7, 2020 as seen from West New York, New Jersey. Roy Rochlin/Getty

April 21: Even after moving to take coronavirus patients, the Comfort didn't come close to reaching capacity — even as the city's hospitals remained overwhelmed. As of Tuesday, the ship had treated a total of 179 patients.

That same day, before the ship started taking coronavirus patients, a crew member tested positive for the disease. This is despite the fact that the crew was ordered to quarantine for two weeks before their departure.

Workers prepare to toss lines ashore during the arrival of the USNS Comfort, a naval hospital ship with a 1,000 bed-capacity, Monday, March 30, 2020, at Pier 90 in New York. Kathy Willens/AP

That same day, before the ship started taking coronavirus patients, a crew member tested positive for the disease. This is despite the fact that the crew was ordered to quarantine for two weeks before their departure.

Trump agreed and the Navy reconfigured the ship into a 500-bed hospital to space out patients and lower the risk of spreading the highly-infectious virus.

U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Janet Rosas tests blood samples aboard the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort on April 6, 2020. FEMA/Reuters

April 6: Following the outrage, Gov. Andrew Cuomo asked Trump for permission to let the ship take coronavirus patients.

The crew of the comfort practice how to bring patients on board the ship after docking in New York City on March 31, 2020. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sara Eshleman

Michael Dowling, the head of New York's largest hospital system, called the Comfort a "joke." He told The Times: "It's pretty ridiculous. If you're not going to help us with the people we need help with, what's the purpose?"

Cmdr. Lori Cici, left, and Lt. Akneca Bumfield stand by for an inbound ambulance carrying a patient arriving for medical care aboard aboard the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort on April 9. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sara Eshleman

Michael Dowling, the head of New York's largest hospital system, called the Comfort a "joke." He told The Times: "It's pretty ridiculous. If you're not going to help us with the people we need help with, what's the purpose?"

April 2: The ship is up and running. The New York Times reported that it had accepted just 20 patients on its first day and that it wasn't taking any coronavirus patients.

Sailors work in the ICU unit aboard USNS Comfort in New York City on April 20, 2020. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sara Eshleman

April 2: The ship is up and running. The New York Times reported that it had accepted just 20 patients on its first day and that it wasn't taking any coronavirus patients.

Throngs of New Yorkers broke stay-at-home orders to watch the massive former tanker come into port.

People crowd the streets of Manhattan's west side to see USNS Comfort coming into port on March 30, 2020. Andrew Kelly/Reuters

March 30: The Comfort arrived in New York City the next day, a white beacon of hope for a city that had at the time seen more than 36,000 cases and 790 deaths. That number has since grown to more than 138,000 cases and 9,944 deaths.

USNS Comfort in New York. Mike Segar/Reuters

March 30: The Comfort arrived in New York City the next day, a white beacon of hope for a city that had at the time seen more than 36,000 cases and 790 deaths. That number has since grown to more than 138,000 cases and 9,944 deaths.

March 29: President Trump saw off the Comfort as it left its port in Virginia to sail up to New York City. He remarked that it was a "70,000-ton message of hope and solidarity to the incredible people of New York."

Trump speaking in front of USNS Comfort in Virginia. AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

March 29: President Trump saw off the Comfort as it left its port in Virginia to sail up to New York City. He remarked that it was a "70,000-ton message of hope and solidarity to the incredible people of New York."

March 17: New York City was quickly becoming a hot zone in the US coronavirus outbreak. The US Navy dispatched one of its hospital ships, USNS Comfort, to aid the city's overwhelmed medical centers.

The USNS Comfort is seen in port in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2017, after it was sent to the island in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Joe Raedle/Getty

March 17: New York City was quickly becoming a hot zone in the US coronavirus outbreak. The US Navy dispatched one of its hospital ships, USNS Comfort, to aid the city's overwhelmed medical centers.

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How USNS Comfort went from a symbol of hope with the president's blessing, to heading back from NYC having treated fewer than 180 patients

Meanwhile, the situation in New York appears to be improving. On Saturday, Cuomo said New York may be "past the plateau" with hospitalizations on the decline. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said that he's seeing "real progress."

April 23: The Comfort is still in port in New York City, even though Trump said it will be leaving as soon as possible.

Trump admitted during a White House briefing that part of the reason the ship was never put to much use in New York City was because its arrival coincided with the opening of a temporary hospital in the Javits convention center.

Trump said he had taken Cuomo up on his offer and would recall the Comfort to its home port in Virginia, where it will prepare for its next posting. The new mission remains unclear.

During a meeting with the president, Cuomo said that New York no longer needed the Comfort and said it could be sent to a more hard-hit area.

April 21: Even after moving to take coronavirus patients, the Comfort didn't come close to reaching capacity — even as the city's hospitals remained overwhelmed. As of Tuesday, the ship had treated a total of 179 patients.

That same day, before the ship started taking coronavirus patients, a crew member tested positive for the disease. This is despite the fact that the crew was ordered to quarantine for two weeks before their departure.

Trump agreed and the Navy reconfigured the ship into a 500-bed hospital to space out patients and lower the risk of spreading the highly-infectious virus.

April 6: Following the outrage, Gov. Andrew Cuomo asked Trump for permission to let the ship take coronavirus patients.

Michael Dowling, the head of New York's largest hospital system, called the Comfort a "joke." He told The Times: "It's pretty ridiculous. If you're not going to help us with the people we need help with, what's the purpose?"

April 2: The ship is up and running. The New York Times reported that it had accepted just 20 patients on its first day and that it wasn't taking any coronavirus patients.

Throngs of New Yorkers broke stay-at-home orders to watch the massive former tanker come into port.

March 30: The Comfort arrived in New York City the next day, a white beacon of hope for a city that had at the time seen more than 36,000 cases and 790 deaths. That number has since grown to more than 138,000 cases and 9,944 deaths.

March 29: President Trump saw off the Comfort as it left its port in Virginia to sail up to New York City. He remarked that it was a "70,000-ton message of hope and solidarity to the incredible people of New York."

March 17: New York City was quickly becoming a hot zone in the US coronavirus outbreak. The US Navy dispatched one of its hospital ships, USNS Comfort, to aid the city's overwhelmed medical centers.