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File: 123096_sep96_decls2_0019.txt
Subject: MEDICAL OPERATIONS DURING OPERATION DESERT STORM 9 NOV 91
Unit: VAR. BUMED
Parent Organization: BUMED
Box ID: BX303801
Folder Title: VARIOUS BUMED DOCUMENTS FOLDER 6
Document Number: 2
Folder Seq #: 10
Table 5. Navy buildup of echelon III beds
Date Event Increase Total
8 Sep USNS Comfott arrival 500 Soo
9 Sep FH-5 operational 350 850
12 Sep FH-5 fully operational iso 1,000
16 Sep USNS Mo!cy arrival Soo 1,500
8 Jan USNS Mercy augmented Soo 2,000
12 Jan USNS Comfort augmented Soo 2,500
2 Feb FH-6 operational 100 2,600
4 Fob FH-6 fully operational 400 3,000
9 Feb FH-15 operational 200 3,200
12 Feb FH-1 5 fully operational 300 3,500
USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort received orders to be fully operational within
five days on 9 and 10 August, respectively. USNS Mercy departed Oakland
14 August after suffering a steering casualty the day before. USNS Comfort left
Bsaltirnore for Norfolk on 11 August for provisioning and departed Norfolk on
14 August. Both ships departed CONUS with nearly a full complement of nonmedi-
cal personnel and about 40 percent of the medical complement for the MTF. During
ansits to Subic Bay, Philippines (USNS Mercy), and Rota, Spain (USNS Comfort),
where they were joined by additional medical staff, the MTF-embarked crews
cleaned, unpa@ and set up treatment areas to make the medical facilities opera-
tional. USNS Comfort arrived in the Gulf on 7 September, and was on station a day
later. USNS Mercy passed through the Strait of Hormuz on 15 September and
arrived north of Bahrain on 16 September. Both hospital ships maintained a
500-bed capability (including 250 acute-care beds) until augmentation by SELRES
personnel in mid January increased the capacity to 1,000 beds. The phased arrival
of personnel facihtated the standup of the MTF by minimim.'ng hotel and support
requirements in the @tial setup. Phased staffing should be continued in future
short-notice deployments when possible.
The order to move FH-6 from storage in Japan and FH-15 from storage in
Norway was issued 4 December. FH-6 equipment departed Japan on four ships
between 14 and 17 December and arrived in Bahr-gin between 7 and 17 January.
The air detachment personnel for FH-6 arrived on 9 January, followed by the
advance party on 23 January, and the main body of personnel on 24 Jqnuary. FH-6
was declared operational with 100 beds on 2 February and achieved a 500-bed
capability on 4 Feb FH-15 left Norway on 31 December and arrived in
-10-
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Document 57 f:/Week-37/BX303801/VARIOUS BUMED DOCUMENTS FOLDER 6/medical operations during operation desert storm:1217961126393
Control Fields 17
File Room = sep96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-37
Box ID = BX303801
Unit = VAR. BUMED
Parent Organization = BUMED
Folder Title = VARIOUS BUMED DOCUMENTS FOLDER 6
Folder Seq # = 10
Subject = MEDICAL OPERATIONS DURING OPERATION DESERT STORM
Document Seq # = 2
Document Date =
Scan Date =
Queued for Declassification = 01-JAN-1980
Short Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Long Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Permanent Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Non-Health Related Document = 01-JAN-1980
Declassified = 17-DEC-1996