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USNS Comfort Departs For Haiti

January 16, 2010
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By Sabri Ben-Achour

A Naval ship carrying hundreds of personnel and tons of supplies and equipment has left Baltimore and is en route to Haiti.

This massive 900-foot long U.S. Navy ship pulled out from the pier at about 10 a.m. and is moving down through the Chesapeake Bay.

The ship is equipped with everything from a radiology department to a dental surgery deck, and space for up to 1,000 patient beds.

The Navy's Surgeon General, Vice Admiral Adam Robinson, addressed the crew before departure.

"You will have the best medical facility in the Caribbean in the port or off the shores of Haiti with a lot of assets to help you do your job," he said.

Normally, missions aboard this ship take a year to plan. This time, the Navy had four days.

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