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One was a former hospital ship that became MMA’s first TS State of Maine, and the second is an active U.S. Navy hospital ship with an MMA alumnus in command.

I was very taken emotionally,” says Jerry Gotlieb ’61, “by seeing the USNS Comfort, (T-AH-20) entering New York Harbor on the morning of March 30, 2020 to provide aid during the COVID-19 crisis. The live TV broadcasts were outstanding and made me very proud.

“As many of my classmates remember,” Gotlieb says, “the first TS State of Maine came to MMA in 1953 after it was converted from the WWII-era USS Comfort (AH-6), a 700-bed hospital ship. Our ship was the second hospital ship named Comfort (the first was a WWI hospital ship).

“The crew of the third Comfort showed exceptional piloting skills entering New York Harbor,” Gotlieb says, and they brought the 894-foot vessel to Pier 90 where it served patients before departing April 30 for its homeport in Virginia to prepare for other potential disaster relief operations.