Hospital Ship Mercy Heads Out

Moving at 11 mph, the US Naval Ship Mercy passes Gaillard Island while heading out of Mobile Bay the morning of FEB 24 2026. Sailing under the flag of USA, the 893 foot by 105 foot Mercy is one of two hospital ships in non-commissioned service under the Navy’s Military Sealift Command. Mercy arrived at Mobile’s Alabama Shipyard LLC AUG 3rd 2025 to undergo maintenance and repairs. For a time, Mercy sat alongside sister ship USNS Comfort, which remains at the shipyard where it, too, undergoes work as part of a contract with the Navy. Both Mercy and Comfort used to be oil supertankers that were converted into hospital ships. Ship tracking data gave no indication of Mercy’s destination, although President Trump stated on FEB 22nd that he will send the ship to Greenland. Mercy has not operated in the Arctic before, and is not ice rated. A representative for the ship’s Command Duty Officer contacted at the Military Sealift Command said he could not release information about the ship’s itinerary, citing operational security. Photo shot from Magnolia Park in Fairhope, about 6.5 miles away…