The U.S. Navy is reporting that two sailors sustained minor injuries during a man overboard incident involving the hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) off the coast of Haiti this week.
In total, nineteen personnel fell overboard during the transfer from a small boat to the Comfort, the Navy said.
The incident took place Monday at approximately 7:17 p.m. off Jeremie, Haiti. The personnel involved were returning to Comfort from Wharf de Jeremie where they were providing medical care during a Continuing Promise 2022 mission stop.
All personnel were safely recovered and returned to Comfort with assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Harold Miller (WPC 1138). The two injured Sailors were treated aboard Comfort and are expected to make a full recovery.
Comfort paused ship-to-shore operations in Haiti, until a safe alternative for personnel transfer has been identified.
USNS Comfort departed Naval Station Norfolk in support of the Continuing Promise 2022 mission in the U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations on October 19, 2022, with planned visits to Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Dominican Republic, and Haiti.
Since its inaugural mission in 2007, Continuing Promise missions have treated more than 582,000 patients and conducted over 7,000 surgeries in the region. Comfort’s current mission will be the 12th Continuing Promise mission conducted in U.S. Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet area of responsibility.
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