This morning I took my cup of coffee to the couch and turned on the television, which has been off for weeks as I find pandemic news, too depressing. But at 7:00AM today, the news was all about the USNS Mercy leaving the Port of Los Angeles.
 |
| Dress for the Occasion |
In normal days, I would have grabbed my brother, our dogs and drive down the street (only two blocks) to catch the action. With my brother now in hospice care, I felt I needed to honor his love of San Pedro and go check out the action.
This 1,000 bed hospital was brought into the port on March 24th, from a Naval Base in San Diego to offer support to local hospitals by taking in overflow patients, not suffering from the coronavirus.
The crew only treated 77 patients and unfortunately experienced their own outbreak when 7 crew members tested positive for COVID-19.
Until I saw the Mercy leaving, I really had no idea just how large and impressive she is.
Images from ABC Eyewitness News
During its short stay, we even had our share of "Crazies" as an engineer tried to crash a train into the ship believing it was part of a government takeover.
I headed over to Warehouse One, for a different view.
There were more people here, during a "stay-at-home" order, than I've ever seen at this picture perfect location (including the sail of Tall Ships).
People were cheering and waving flags to thank the crew for their service.
The police were only turning away anyone without a face mask.
Next, I headed over to the SS Lane Victory for a view with the Angels Gate Lighthouse. Since all public places are still closed (including the parking lot which has the best view of San Pedro Harbor), I had to settle for a quick shot along the pier.
Of course the local paper was out in the water, getting the best shot of all.
 |
| Image from Daily Breeze |
This 1,000 bed hospital was brought into the port on March 24th, from a Naval Base in San Diego to offer support to local hospitals by taking in overflow patients, not suffering from the coronavirus.
The crew only treated 77 patients and unfortunately experienced their own outbreak when 7 crew members tested positive for COVID-19.
Until I saw the Mercy leaving, I really had no idea just how large and impressive she is. 
During its short stay, we even had our share of "Crazies" as an engineer tried to crash a train into the ship believing it was part of a government takeover.
I headed over to Warehouse One, for a different view. 
There were more people here, during a "stay-at-home" order, than I've ever seen at this picture perfect location (including the sail of Tall Ships). 
The police were only turning away anyone without a face mask.
Next, I headed over to the SS Lane Victory for a view with the Angels Gate Lighthouse. Since all public places are still closed (including the parking lot which has the best view of San Pedro Harbor), I had to settle for a quick shot along the pier. 
Of course the local paper was out in the water, getting the best shot of all. 
