PLAN invited to participate in RIMPAC for first the time (2014)

PLAN Type 920 Hospital ship, Peace Ark, 866, conducting medical exercises at RIMPAC 2014:


PLAN Peace Ark
Specifications
Displace (Tons): 14,000
Length (feet): 579
Beam (Feet): 82
Draft (feet) 22
Speed (Knots): 20
Compliment:
- 200 Crew
- 450 Naval Medical
Beds: 300
Operating Rooms: 8
ICU: 20 x ICU beds

By comparison...

USNS Mercy
Specifications
Displace (Tons): 69,350
Length (feet): 895
Beam (Feet): 106
Speed (Knots): 17
Compliment:
- 260 Crew
- 960 Naval Medical
Beds: 1,000
Operating Rooms: 12
ICU: 80 x ICU beds

Great photos Jeff.

US Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) has sortied from Naval Station San Diego enroute to Pearl Harbor to participate in RIMPAC 2014.

SAN DIEGO (June 16, 2014) The Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) prepares to depart Naval Base San Diego for Rim of the Pacific 2014. Rim of the Pacific provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of the sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class James Vazquez/Released)

Click to expand...

SAN DIEGO (June 16, 2014) The Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) transits the San Diego Bay for Rim of the Pacific 2014. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Huey D. Younger Jr./Released)

Click to expand...

Boy howdy, she's big!

Blackstone said:

Boy howdy, she's big!

Click to expand...

I call her Big Mercy.

bd popeye said:

Great photos Jeff.

US Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) has sortied from Naval Station San Diego enroute to Pearl Harbor to participate in RIMPAC 2014.

Click to expand...

That pic allows for a good comparison between the sizes of the two Hospital ships:


At right at 70,000 tons, that Mercy and its sister are behemoths!

US Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) was built as an oil tanker and then converted to a Hospital ship.

Wikipedia has the best information about Mercy.

Mercy was built as an oil tanker, SS Worth, by National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, in 1976. Starting in July 1984, she was renamed and converted to a hospital ship by the same company. Launched on 20 July 1985, USNS Mercy was commissioned on 8 November 1986. She has a raised forecastle, a transom stern, a bulbous bow, an extended deckhouse with a forward bridge, and a helicopter-landing deck with a flight control facility. The Mercy class hospital ships are the third largest ships in the U.S. Navy Fleet by length, surpassed only by the nuclear-powered Ford-class and Nimitz-class supercarriers.

Click to expand...

bd popeye said:

US Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) was built as an oil tanker and then converted to a Hospital ship.

Wikipedia has the best information about Mercy.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Click to expand...

Really I did not know that but I could see by the outline of a converted tanker I learnt something new today!

bd popeye said:

US Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) was built as an oil tanker and then converted to a Hospital ship.

Click to expand...

Yes.

Both USNS Mercy (T-AH-19), and her sister ship, USNS Comfort (T-AH-20), are converted San Clemente Class supertankers. Mercy was commissioned in 1986 and Comfort in 1987.

At 894 feet in length, the only longer US Naval vessels are the carriers. Both the Wasp Class and new America class are both 844 feet long.

In terms of displacment. The Carriers are all larger. The new Mobile Landing Platdforms at 82,000 tons are lagrer...but then I believe it is these Hospitaal Ships. All of the large Roll-on Roll-off Cargo and pre-positioning ships, though very large themselves, are smaller...some being as high as 62,000 tons and others around 50,000 tons.

But at 69,000 tons, there are really big ships!

The PLAN task force is slowly making its way toward Hawaii. It stopped over in Singapore for a little joint maneuver...

(900x600)


(1600x1059)


(1059x1600)


(1600x996)

Which country do the two small ships behind the hospital ship belong to?