Navigation Tracking and Boat Ops Info

For anyone interested in plotting our track we departed Miami on schedule at 0700 on Monday the 6th of April, and proceeded in a northeasterly direction to the Northwest Providence Channel. We continued through Northeast Providence Channel then headed offshore and turned to the south southwest , passing southwest of San Salvador Island. From there we took Crooked Island Passage, and finally passed through the Windward Pass into the Caribbean. From there we followed a s southeasterly course through Cannal Du Marc to Baie de Port au Prince, arriving at our anchorage the morning of the 9th. Track information will be posted to the blog after arrival at each of our stops so you can keep track of both where we are and how we got there.

Yesterday I talked to one of our boat officers, Second Officer Day Jean Marien, as I returned to the ship on his boat. This was near the end of a long day of moving ship’s personnel and patients from Comfort to shore and back. His face was red from the sun and his uniform was stained with dried salt spray and sweat, but through a weary smile he told me about how much satisfaction he gets from interacting with the patients every day - bringing them out to the ship in need of care and taking them back to shore healthy. Jean’s comments are typical of what I am hearing from our boat crews. While driving boats in the hot sun day in and day out is exhausting work, our mariners get so much satisfaction out of their jobs that there is nothing they would rather be doing. The extra care they take when loading the patients - many of whom are not feeling well - onto the boat for the short journey to the ship is truly amazing and they take well deserved pride in making the beginning and end of the patient’s Comfort experience as stress free as possible.

Operating Comfort’s two 10 meter Patient Transfer/Logistics Boats is one the MSC crew’s most critical roles. Each boat has a crew of three civilian mariners, carries about 30 personnel and has a top speed of 10 knots. On a typical day the boats make their first run to shore at daybreak and operate continuously until after sunset, moving ship’s personnel, patients and supplies to and from the ship.

Moving over two hundred personnel and significant amounts of material from ship to shore and back on a daily basis requires close coordination between the mission command staff, medical planners and boat operators. The bulk of this work is done by our two cargo experts Captain Joseph Lindsey, USMC and Gunnery Sargeant Kenneth Roberts, USMC. They work on a daily basis with the medical planners, and other groups that will require transportation the next day to develop a detailed manifest and boat plan to ensure that everybody and everything is where it needs to be when it needs to be there. Without their “behind the scenes” efforts team Comfort could not accomplish its mission.

Hello from Food For the Poor!

Based in Coconut Creek, FL., Food for the Poor is the largest international relief and development organization in the country. It has been over 25 years since its foundation in Jamaica and has assisted Haiti since 1985. It is also the largest provider of aid to 17 countries in the Caribbean & Latin America, including three international offices in Jamaica, Haiti, and Guyana.

In Haiti, Food for the Poor does much more than simply feed millions of hungry poor people. It is also involved in water projects, construction of homes for families without adequate shelter, life saving medical care, training & micro-enterprise opportunities, education for children, orphanages, among other efforts. Poverty & need are the primary criteria to receive assistance, and the organization’s motto comes from Matthrew 25:40 <<>>

I had the privilege join the USNS Comfort Navy ship for the Continuing Promise 2009 mission on Saturday April 4th, and I’m still living this wonderful life-saving experience. I’m very impressed with the size of the ship, all of the beautiful people I have met and especially the vision of the mission to bring relief and hope to the needy (just like Food for the Poor).

This international humanitarian mission has emphasized respect, dignity, quality of service, the process of learning from each other, and positive thinking. During the first Sunday service, the USNS Comfort’s Chaplain reminded us that we have to keep on going whatever the circumstances “let’s roll on,” knowing that God will always be there to help those who believe in Him. My experience in this mission has reminded me of the Haitian flag motto “l’Union fait la Force,” meaning together and united we can build the power. All the various entities of the US Military have put in their efforts, together with different NGOs, towards the same goal: relief and hop to the needy. It’s a beautiful experience and I’m proud to have been chosen to represent Food for the Poor for two weeks in such a great international humanitarian mission. No doubt that Food for the Poor will always contribute to events like Continuing Promise that meet its vision to help the those in need.

We hope there will be another Continuing Promise mission just as beautiful as this one for the benefit of all those still in need.

Our best to all the participants and in the name of all the Haitian people we thank all the parties involved, and may God bless and assist them all always.

By: Huguette GUERRE.
Volunteer for Food for the Poor

Hello from Port au Prince, Haiti.

Commodore here again!


I’m very pleased to report our CONTINUING PROMISE mission here is going according to plan and the team has effectively demonstrated the ability to move medical and engineering service ashore and conduct humanitarian efforts. It may sound easy, however this is extremely complex and takes an enormous amount of teamwork to pull together a combined group of professionals from around the world to conduct effective humanitarian efforts. Good news is we’ve been able to do just that, it hasn’t been perfect, no one said it would be.

The numerous medical surgeries that have been done onboard COMFORT have been truly amazing; I only wish I was medically savvy enough to explain the technical details, but what I do know the procedures that we’ve done have been quality of life changing for many. They may have never had the opportunity if COMFORT and CONTINUING PROMISE were not in Haiti.

Our partnering this year has been a huge success, humanitarian organizations such as The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, Food for the Poor, Operation Smile, Project HOPE, Rotarian International and USCD Pre-Dental Society have provided many health care and humanitarian professionals to integrate seamlessly into team. Their vast experience and never-ending energy has provided the team a completely new dynamic to the CONTINUING PROMISE mission. They know and understand the environment very well, as well as already have the trust of host nation leadership. We could not do this mission nearly as effective without them, nor would we want to. Four more days in Haiti, I’ll give you an update when we depart on how it went. Thanks for your continued support for this incredible mission.

Greetings from the Navigation Bridge!

I am Captain Thomas Finger, USNS Comfort’s Ship’s Master. As the Master or “Captain” I am responsible for the safe navigation and operation of the vessel and in overall command of the ship. My crew consists of 64, highly qualified; United States Coast Guard licensed and/or documented civil service mariners. We are all employees of the Department of the Navy’s Military Sealift Command. We work closely with the Commodore Bob Lineberry and his fine staff and the outstanding team of Medical Professionals led by Capt. J. J. Ware to make USNS Comfort go.

As I write this we are well along our track from Miami to Haiti. The Miami port visit last Saturday and Sunday was great! Though I have spent more than 30 years at sea this was the first time that I had taken a ship into Miami, never mind one the size of Comfort (think three football fields long, over one hundred feet wide and more than six stories high). Approaching from the north just before dawn we could see the city lights in the distance. As the sun came up all aboard were greeted by the sight of beautiful beaches stretching to the north with the city skyline dead ahead. We picked up the Biscayne Bay pilot, an individual with extensive local knowledge and outstanding shiphandling skills who comes aboard to guide visiting ships in and out of port, shortly after 8:00 AM. We then traveled the full length of the main ship channel, passing three passenger ships that were even larger than Comfort. Assisted by four tug boats the ship then turned 180 degrees and headed back up the channel tying up to berth 56W at about 10 O’clock. While this was a “liberty” port the MSC crew had a lot of work to do before they could hit the beach. Engineering watchstanders continued to provide hotel services for the more than 900 people living aboard, while deck and engine department personnel completed minor repairs and conducted required maintenance. We also loaded some last minute cargo, worked with the ship’s agent to ensure that all required services were received and stood safety and security watches.

When dawn broke on Monday morning it was time to leave the great city of Miami. By noon we had reached the Bahamas and were well on our way to Haiti. During the transit we are continuing to conduct training and make final preparations for our arrival in Port au Prince. As the trip continues I will try to give provide an idea of what it takes to keep a ship as large and complex as Comfort operating smoothly so the skilled medical professionals aboard can safely and effectively do their jobs. I will also be happy to answer questions about the ship that anyone might have.

Haiti bound!

Mission Commander, CAPT Bob Lineberry, here again with another update!

Underway from Miami, enjoyable and productive two days spent loading personnel and additional supplies. Departed Miami with 906 team mates--more on that later. During our stay we had the honor and pleasure to host a luncheon onboard COMFORT for the U.S. Southern Command staff that included the Military Deputy Commander and Civilian Deputy Commander, Lt Gen Spears and Ambassador Trivelli. In addition, we had numerous Non-Governmental Organizations friends enjoy this event followed by a NGO roundtable session to discuss future partnering opportunities. Partnering with these organizations has been essential for the success of the CONTINUING PROMISE mission, we will continue to reach out and add new friends and colleagues to enhance our humanitarian capabilities.
Just days away from beginning our mission in Haiti, the excitement and energy onboard COMFORT is on the rise as we make final preparations of the medical and engineering services planned. Our planning team spends the day gathering information from our advance coordination team in Haiti turning that into an actionable efforts by a combined team of professionals from numerous organizations from around the world:
U.S. Navy: 636
U.S. Army: 31
U.S. Air Force: 61
U.S. Marines: 3
U.S. Coast Guard: 4
Civilian Mariners: 68
NGO Partners: 53
International Partners: 19 (Canada, Chile, France, The Netherlands)
Civilians: 14
U.S. Public Health Service: 12
Host Nation Professionals: 5
Total: 906

Looking forward to someone writing us a note telling us what you think of the CONTINUING PROMISE mission this year.

Spanish translation follows:

Martes, 7 de Abril, 2009
En rumbo a Haiti!

Comandante de misión, CAPT Lineberry Bob, aquí de nuevo con otra actualización! En rumbo desde Miami, hemos pasado dos días agradables y productivos recibiendo personal y suministros adicionales. Salimos de Miami con 906 personas - más sobre eso luego. Durante nuestra estadía tuvimos el honor y el placer de ser anfitrión de un almuerzo a bordo del COMFORT para el personal del Comando Sur de los EE.UU., que incluye el Subcomandante Militar y Subcomandante Civil, Teniente General Spears y el Embajador Trivelli. Adicionalmente, tuvimos numerosos amigos de Organizaciones No- Gubernamentales que disfrutaron de este evento. El almuerzo fue seguido por una junta de organizaciones no gubernamentales para discutir oportunidades para trabajar juntos en el futuro. La asociación con estas organizaciones ha sido fundamental para el éxito de la misión PROMESA CONTINUA, seguiremos trabajando para añadir nuevos amigos y colegas para mejorar nuestra capacidad humanitaria.
Estamos a pocos días de comenzar nuestra misión en Haití, y la emoción y la energía a bordo del COMFORT va en aumento a medida que se hacen los preparativos finales para los servicios médicos e ingenieros previstos. Nuestro equipo de planificación pasa el día recopilando información de nuestro equipo de coordinación en Haití y convierte esta información en un plan de acción llevado a cabo por un equipo de profesionales de numerosas organizaciones del mundo entero:

Armada de E.E.U.U.: 636
Ejército de E.E.U.U.: 31
Fuerza Aérea de E.E.U.U.: 61
Infantería de Marina de E.E.U.U. : 3
Guarda Costas de E.E.U.U.: 4
Marinos Mercantes: 68
Compañeros de Organizaciones No-Gubernamentales: 53
Compañeros Internacionales: 19 (Canada / Canada, Chile / Chile, France / Francia, The Paises Bajos)
Civiles: 14
Servicio de Salud Pública de E.E.U.U.: 12
Profesionales del país anfitrión: 5
Total: 906
Esperamos atentamente recibir notas diciéndonos que piensan de la misión PROMESA CONTINUA de este año.

Greetings from Comfort's Commanding Officer

"Greetings from the USNS Comfort Hospital Ship, sailing off the Atlantic coast of Florida on our way to the Caribbean and beyond. I am Captain J. J. Ware, USN, DC, the Commanding Officer for Hospital Comfort, a team of international Medical Professionals that will be conducting the Medical Humanitarian efforts during Continuing Promise 2009 in coordination with our Central and South American Partner Nations.

This International Medical Humanitarian Mission has been in the planning stages for over 10 months with advanced medical teams traveling to all seven of our host nations. During that time, Pre Deployment medical teams coordinated through the American Embassies in each country, have worked hand-in-hand with each Nation's Ministry of Health. These teams have developed a tailor-made medical, dental and veterinarian plan to foster professional exchange and assist in medical care.

Continuing Promise 2009's mission is focused on developing and enhancing lasting professional medical relationships in each of the countries we visit, while providing safe, quality medical care. To this end, our medical goal is to bring relief and hope to those in need while building professional partnerships with the local medical communities who will be working side by side with us each and everyday.

During this mission, Hospital Comfort will have over 1300 medical personnel rotating to the ship in different ports-of-call, providing multi-discipline care in a wide variety of specialty areas. Hospital Comfort will utilize 4-8 operating rooms on-board the ship, providing surgical care in pediatric and adult general surgery, orthopedic surgery, ophthalmology, urology, ENT, Maxillo-facial, OB/GYN with accompanying diagnostic specialty capabilities in Radiology (to include Interventional Radiology), Laboratory, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Optometry, and Dental services. We will also bring with us onboard Hospital Comfort, an extensive expertise in the area of medical equipment services and repair to assist in each country as needed.

Professional medical, dental and nursing exchange programs will also be another focused ambition for our mission. We hope to partner with the host nation Medical, Dental and Nursing schools and local professional organizations in each country to come together in the spirit of humanitarian cooperation, to exchange professional knowledge. These sharing opportunities will go a long way in developing understanding and respect amongst the multiple nations involved with our mission.

We have already pre-screened hundreds of potential surgical patients in each country, using local medical communities to channel prospective patients into our diagnostic and treatment system.

The real strength of the Medical staff on Hospital Comfort is the diverse group of national and international health professional who will be coming together from all over the Globe to make this medical expedition possible.

Non-Government Organizations from across America have volunteered to support this mission. I expect to meet and integrate into this hospital ship over 350 Civilian Humanitarian Medical Volunteers from all corners of our country who have unselfishly donated time and travel expenses to support this effort. The fact is thousands of professionals volunteered and unfortunately the 1000 bed capacity for staff on the ship became a limiting factor in how many we could take with us. Fortunately we have another 500 beds available for patients and guardians/escorts.

Project Hope, a leading organization for humanitarian assistance world-wide, will have 140 volunteers serving in multiple capacities. Operation Smile will focus their expertise in the treatment of cleft lip and cleft palate surgery and will bring 4 international teams to the mission. The University of California San Diego (UCSD) Pre-Dental Society will provide a wide spectrum of humanitarian volunteers (approximately 140) to support the mission. The Church of Later-Day Saints will provide nurses and multi-task helpers in support. Food For The Poor, and international relief organization, and the International Rotary organization have volunteered to provide patient transporters, translators and other support as needed to facilitate this mission.

Internationally, the countries of Canada, The Netherlands, Chile, France, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Antigua Barbuda, Dominican Republic and Haiti will provide expert medical personnel in their field to support this four month humanitarian mission on board Hospital Comfort.

The United States will have a large active duty U.S. Navy component (400+), U. S. Navy Reservists component (210 personnel), Army National Guard and Reserve (240 personnel), U.S. Air Force (52 full-time personnel), US Coast Guard (6 personnel) and U.S. Public Health Services (50+ personnel). This is truly a joint medical mission and would not have been possible without support from all the Department of Defense services who have contributed manpower to this Southern Command initiative.

In the days and weeks to come, I look forward to sharing with you our efforts and success in the medical arena, as we build bridges with our neighbors to the south."

We've Departed!

(Abajo se encuentra la traducción en español. )

What a great day!

USNS COMFORT and CONTINUING PROMISE 09 started exactly as planned today and the team is ready to put all the hard work and effort to good use. It’s a very rewarding feeling to see all the efforts and planning finally come together for what I know will be a very successful mission.

Would like to thank Capt Tom Finger, the Master, and all the civilian merchant mariners for their dedication and team spirit. Without them we would not be able to sail this great ship and take this immense capability to the region.

Our next stop in Miami, will be a great opportunity for us to showcase our mission before we depart for Haiti. Many distinguished visitors and partners will be coming aboard to learn about our mission and visit with the team that makes all this happen.

Today we proudly announced our first Person of the Day onboard COMFORT, YN1 Angela Robbins, ADMIN LPO who has been essential in her duties and leadership in effectively processing hundreds of service members over the last week as we prepared for CP09.

Spanish translation follows:

Viernes, 3 de abril de 2009
Hemos Partido!

Qué gran día! El USNS COMFORT and PROMESA CONTINUA 09 empezó exactamente como se planeo y el equipo está listo para trabajar. Es bien gratificante ver que todo el esfuerzo y planeamiento dará fruto a una misión exitosa.

Nos gustaría agradecer al Capitán Tom Finger, el Maestro, y los civiles de la marina mercante por su dedicación que refleja el espíritu de equipo. Sin ellos no hubiéramos sido capaces de navegar este barco por la región.

Nuestra próxima parada en Miami será una gran oportunidad para nosotros demostrar el propósito de nuestra misión antes de partir para Haití. Habrán muchos personas distinguidas que bordaran para aprender acerca de nuestra misión y visitar el equipo que hará posible la misión.

Hoy anunciamos con orgullo nuestra primera “Persona del Día” en el COMFORT: es YN1 Ángela Robbins, “Petty Officer” Primera Clase encargada de la sección administrativa del barco. Ella ha excedido en sus tareas y su liderazgo, y ha ayudado en la efectividad del procesamiento de cientos de miembros militares en la última semana en preparación para CP09.