Hospital Ship 'Mercy' Delayed by Propulsion Problem

USNS Mercy's departure on S.E. Asia humanitarian mission 'Pacific Partnership' delayed by propulsion problem

A “mechanical issue” delayed the has delayed the departure of the hospital ship Mercy, which was scheduled to leave its berth here for a scheduled humanitarian mission to Southeast Asia, according to the Navy.

Problems surfaced with the ship’s forward propulsion system just as Mercy was preparing to leave on its four-and-a-half-month deployment for this year’s “Pacific Partnership” humanitarian and civic mission, said mission spokeswoman Lt. Cmdr. S. Maria Lohmeyer.

“Engineers anticipate the repair will take approximately 48 hours,” Lohmeyer said. She did not provide details on what went wrong.

Lohmeyer said Navy officials don’t expect the delay would affect the planned missions, which will include medical, humanitarian and disaster relief projects in four countries, starting in Indonesia on May 31. Mercy, one of two floating hospitals operated by the Military Sealift Command, will also visit the Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia before returning home in September.