Trump has pledged to send a hospital ship to Greenland to “take care of the many people… not being taken care of there.” Unfortunately, no such ship is available.
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday evening, President Donald Trump indicated he would order a hospital ship to Greenland—a decision that has led to confusion, as the United States Navy has no vessel readily available for such a mission.
“Working with the fantastic Governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, we are going to send a great hospital boat to Greenland to take care of the many people who are sick, and not being taken care of there. It’s on the way!!! President DJT,” the president posted, sharing an artist rendering of the San Diego-based hospital ship USNS Mercy.
Governor Landry is also serving as the US special envoy to Greenland, and he defended calls for a hospital ship to be sent to the semi-autonomous Danish territory after Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen rejected it.
“Shame on Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen,” Landry, the governor of Louisiana, wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). “After speaking to many Greenlanders about the day to day problems they face, one issue stood out—healthcare.”
“Many villages and small towns lack basic services that Americans often take for granted,” Landry added. “Small settlements are without permanent doctors, diagnostic tools, or specialist care – forcing residents to travel great distances for vital treatments that should be available at home.”
The Political Dimensions of the (Hypothetical) Ship Visit
Landry’s comments on X made it clear this is about more than health.
“A healthy Greenland is vital for America’s national security. America is committed to defending Greenland, and that begins by ensuring its people are defended against basic illnesses and ailments,” his post continued.
Nielsen had turned down the offer to send a hospital ship or other aid.
“It’s going to be a no thank you from here,” Nielsen wrote on Facebook. “President Trump’s idea to send an American hospital ship here to Greenland is noted. But we have a public health system where treatment is free for citizens. It’s a deliberate choice. And a basic part of our society. It’s not like that in the United States, where it costs money to go to the doctor.”
Nielsen also stated that the people of Greenland are open to “dialogue and collaboration,” adding, “But talk to us now instead of just coming up with more or less random outbursts on social media. Dialogue and cooperation require respect that decisions about our country are made at home.”
Why Does Trump Want to Send a Ship to Greenland?
Trump’s social media post came hours after Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command aided in the evacuation of a US sailor from a nuclear-powered submarine that surfaced off Greenland. Normally, such submarines remain submerged during much of their deployment, but the unnamed submarine broke from mission protocol and surfaced 8 miles from Nuuk, Greenland’s capital city, where the sailor was airlifted from a Danish Defense Seahawk helicopter, deployed from the patrol ship Vædderen.
The exact nature of the medical emergency has not been disclosed, and the sailor has not been identified. Trump’s announcement on Truth Social seemed to indicate an outbreak of disease in Greenland, but that does not seem to be the case.
Equally confusing is why an American nuclear-powered submarine was operating right off the coast of Nuuk—but it is possible the boat was directed towards the capital to evacuate the sailor.
“The proper response from an American president would’ve been to thank Greenland for providing emergency care to a US service member,” progressive political commentator Steve Benen wrote for MS NOW (formerly MSNBC). “Trump, however, chose a different, far less constructive course.”
The Twist: America Doesn’t Have a Hospital Ship to Send
Even as Trump and Landry seem intent on sending a hospital ship, there is a not-so-small problem: there isn’t one available.
The United States Navy has two hospital ships—the Mercy and the USNS Comfort, home-ported in Virginia. However, both are now in Alabama, undergoing repairs, with USNS Mercy arriving last summer and USNS Comfort last month.
Both ships are converted supertankers, equipped with 12 operating rooms and space for up to 1,000 beds. Both offer services of a full-sized hospital, including a CAT scanner, two oxygen-producing plants, digital radiology, and even optometry labs. The ships also have the staff of a large city hospital—up to 1,200 personnel, including doctors, nurses, and medical specialists.
The ships are so big that, on their own, each could be the size of the fourth-largest hospital in the United States.
Each of the 900-foot-long ships, which also displace around 69,360 tons when fully loaded, was acquired by the Navy in 1986 and 1987 and is in need of a refit. The US Navy had previously considered retiring the vessels and moving to a fleet of Common Hull Auxiliary Multi-Mission Platform (CHAMP) ships instead. That program was canceled, and the US Navy has remained committed to maintaining its massive floating hospitals.
USNS Mercy was dispatched to Los Angeles, with USNS Comfort sent to New York City in the spring of 2020, to provide aid during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, but neither ever treated many patients.
Given Greenland’s size, it remains unclear how either hospital ship would address the shortage of medical facilities in the remote villages.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
