Navy hospital ship prepares to leave for possible war with Iraq

BALTIMORE -- About 300 crew members boarded the Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort on Sunday, bidding goodbye to family members and friends as they prepared to aid a possible war in Iraq.

Snow fell steadily, bathing the east Baltimore docks in white as sailors and medical staffers boarded the massive, whitewashed ship painted with huge, red crosses. It was set to sail Monday morning.

"More than anything, just being gone is going to be hardest. The only thing I can do is expect the worst and hope for the best," said Jason Sully, 30, of Chesapeake, Va.

He leaves behind three children and his wife, 27-year-old Melanie Sully. "I'm proud of him. It's just hard," she said.

Buses arriving from Navy medical centers pulled up to the fenced-off port, unloading 30 to 40 crew members at a time. The crew includes about 300 Navy personnel and 61 civilian mariners, and more medical personnel can be flown to the ship as needed.

The Comfort is readying for duty at the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia.

The 1,000-bed ship is part of a broad mobilization of air, land and sea forces for a possible invasion of Iraq. It has 12 operating rooms and is equipped to handle troops injured in biological and chemical attacks.

The Comfort last deployed for war during Desert Storm in 1990 and 1991. It also sailed to New York to assist emergency crews after the collapse of the World Trade Center.