Military Sealift Command's hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) is scheduled to travel from San Diego to Los Angeles this week to help relieve demands on hospitals in one of the nation's COVID-19 hot spots.
You can track the journey's progress at the VesselFinder.com website. Here's a direct link to the Mercy's tracking page. The independent site displays real-time ship positions and marine traffic detected by the global AIS (automatic identification system) network and makes it available to the general public.
Washington state may currently have a higher number of cases, but Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Pete Gaynor said, "The projected needs for beds in California is five times more than that of Washington."
Related: Here's How a Navy Hospital Ship Will Help Fight the Coronavirus Pandemic
Before the ship makes the journey to Los Angeles, the Navy is first doing required certifications and training at sea. The voyage should start within the next few days.
Medical professionals on the Mercy came from several West Coast naval hospitals and clinics, including those at Camp Pendleton and Twentynine Palms in California, and Bremerton and Oak Harbor in Washington.
The ship will stay in Los Angeles as long as the situation requires, officials said.
![](http://images02.military.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_large/public/2024-04/1time%20red%20o%27neill%20platoon%201200.jpg?itok=w-2J41Bh "John C. McGinley as Sgt. O'Neill in Oliver Stone's "Platoon." (Orion Pictures)")
![](http://images01.military.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_large/public/2024-04/1time%20History%20proof%20is%20out%20there%20rudy%20reyes%20ronnie%20adkins%201200.jpg?itok=38fi51YO "Former Army intelligence analyst Ronnie Adkins (left) and veteran Recon Marine Rudy Reyes host "The Proof is Out There," on HIstory. (Jai Lennard/The HISTORY Channel)")
