A US hospital ship stationed off New York was originally a tanker built for work in Alaska.
The 45,480-dwt USNS Comfort (built 1976) docked at Pier 90 last week, with 1,000 beds designated for patients with non-coronavirus issues, as normal hospitals fills with Covid-19 sufferers.
It has surgical rooms, a CAT scan unit, X-ray machines, a dental suite, and two oxygen-producing plants.
Comfort was last in New York during the aftermath of the 11 September terrorist attacks in 2001.
The vessel was built as Rose City, a San Clemente-class tanker constructed by the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company.
The tankers in the series were owned by Aeron Marine Shipping, Third Group, Maritime Overseas Corp (now OSG) and Chestnut Shipping.
They were built to serve the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System.
Rose City was converted into a hospital ship during 1987.
Its last captain as a tanker was Lance Orton of New York, a graduate of the Fort Schyler Merchant Marine Academy.
At the time of completion National Steel and Shipbuilding Company was equally owned by Kaiser Industries Corporation and Morrison-Knudsen Company.
