Mercy Returns to San Diego Following Successful Dynamic Interface Testing

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Luke Cunningham | 210504-N-LW757-1030 SAN DIEGO (May 4, 2021) Sailors embarked with Medical Treatment Facility aboard Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) look ashore at the ship transits into Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI) May 4. Mercy is underway off the coast of Southern California completing Dynamic Interface Testing, where the ship’s aviation facilities will be evaluated for compatibility with the V-22 Osprey and MH-60 Seahawk, and establish launch and recovery windows in adverse weather conditions. Mercy recently returned to its homeport in San Diego from a regular overhaul in Portland, Ore., where improvements were made to its flight deck to support multiple aircraft platforms. Mercy must be in a five-day-activation status in order to support missions over the horizon, and be ready, reliable and resilient to support mission commanders. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Luke Cunningham)  

SAN DIEGO, CA, UNITED STATES

05.03.2021

Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jacob L. Greenberg 

Military Sealift Command Pacific

SAN DIEGO — Military Sealift Command (MSC) hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) and its embarked Medical Treatment Facility (MTF) returned from an underway to its homeport in San Diego following a successful testing evolution May 4.
Dynamic Interface Testing’s (DI) primary purpose was to evaluate the ship’s new flight deck for flight operations with the MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, as well as MH-60S Seahawk helicopter.
“Mercy’s MTF Air Department meshed extremely well with the MSC team, and we all felt that the deck operations during flight operations were crisp, precise and extremely professional,” said Capt. Timothy Quast, Mercy’s MTF commanding officer. “The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) team from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., that worked with us during MV-22B Osprey and MH-60S Seahawk operations gave the crew high praise for our execution. I couldn’t be more pleased with how DI allowed us to come together as a team, in addition to getting excellent results. I’m confident we’re ready for operational tasking, and because of our success during DI, we are an incredibly-enhanced platform when it comes to air evacuation and casualty receiving. This is a big win for Navy Medicine and MSC.”
During DI, both pilots and flight deck personnel trained both day and night, and in a variety of sea and wind conditions, to prepare for any upcoming mission’s requirements.
“The expansion of the flight deck to accommodate the Osprey, as well as the Seahawk, aboard Mercy increases the flexibility and capacity for patient reception and accommodation,” said Capt. Peter Nolan, Mercy’s MSC ship’s master. “We’ll be able to further practice flight deck to casualty receiving area transit evolutions to optimize our procedures during upcoming underways.”
With the exception of a transit to and from Portland, Ore., to undergo a regular overhaul and receive upgrades to its flight deck, Mercy has not been underway since supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) mission, under the Department of Defense’s Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA), to provide coronavirus (COVID-19) relief to citizens of Los Angeles in 2020.
Mercy had been underway for 23 days during DI to support the Navy Surgeon General Rear Adm. Bruce Gillingham’s “four Ps” of people, platforms, performance and power. The ship can steam to assist anywhere to provide relief as a symbol of Navy Medicine’s abilities around the world, and must be in a five-day-activation status in order to support missions over the horizon, and be ready, reliable and resilient to support mission commanders.
Visit navy.mil or facebook.com/usnsmercy for more information.

• Date Taken: 05.03.2021
• Date Posted: 05.04.2021 12:50
• Story ID: 395503
• Location: SAN DIEGO, CA, US