Harrowing video has emerged of the moment a small boat tipped over as it was being lifted onto the Navy hospital ship Comfort, sending several passengers into the choppy seas below.
Two sailors sustained what the Navy has called minor injuries in the incident Monday evening, which took place off the coast of Haiti.
All told, 19 personnel fell overboard during the transfer, officials said earlier this week.
Comfort was operating off Haiti providing medical care as part of a mission stop.
The video clips were posted to the “disgruntled_docs” Instagram account, and U.S. 4th Fleet spokesman Cmdr. Myers Vasquez said in a statement Thursday that the command is “aware of the videos.”
The videos show a small boat being lifted by a crane up to the Comfort’s deck in the dark.
As the front of the small boat is turned toward the ship, the boat lists to port as those aboard the Comfort scream.
At least two people can be seen falling into the water.
Twelve of the 19 aboard the small boat at the time of the mishap were sailors, Vasquez said, while the seven others were U.S. civilian personnel.
No Haitians were aboard at the time of the incident, he said.
Ship-to-shore operations were paused following the mishap.
A 4th Fleet official told The Associated Press earlier this week that, usually, personnel will use a water taxi and then step onto a ladder when returning to the ship, but heavy surf Monday rendered that impossible.
“Our first priority in response to this incident was to ensure all personnel involved were thoroughly evaluated, were provided care if needed and were able to return to duty when ready,” Vasquez said in a statement Thursday. “We have initiated an investigation that will examine the facts and evaluate our processes with the goal of improving operations at sea and ensuring the safety of the force.”
Vasquez declined to provide further details on the incident, citing the ongoing investigation.
Sal Mercogliano, a maritime historian and former merchant mariner who once sailed aboard Comfort, estimated in a YouTube analysis that the small boat was about 40 feet above the service when it tipped.
The bridge deck on Comfort sits about 80 feet above the water, he noted.
“You’re a good distance off the water here,” he said in his YouTube analysis.
Comfort is one of two Navy hospital ships and came into service in 1987.
The ships and their crews regularly steam to such locales to provide humanitarian and medical assistance.
Geoff is the managing editor of Military Times, but he still loves writing stories. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all kinds of tips at geoffz@militarytimes.com.
