Boing Boing reader Sarah Lefton in San Francisco says,
I just snapped this shot of a red cross boat probably bound for New Orleans, where my parents used to live.
Link to full size
Correction: Doug says,
The ship shown in your latest post is the USNS Mercy, a Naval ship based out of San Diego.
Its sister ship, the Comfort, based out of Baltimore, has already been dispatched to the [US] Gulf region. Since this bridge is steaming under the bay bridge in San Francisco, I doubt it's going to the [US] Gulf. Even going through the Panama Canal, it'd be a week or more before the ship would reach the affected area.
Kemp Mullaney, another BB reader in SF, says:
The boat pictured is a Naval Hospital boat that was in dry dock in SF for a retrofit after returning from tsunami relief work in Indonesia. I cycle by the waterfront where the boat was in dry dock and have been checking out the work they were performing. I cannot confirm that it is heading to NOLA, but that would be a good bet.
Vaughn says,
In regards to the photo you posted about the Mercy ship, here's a link to the Wired News article about a photographer stationed on the ship. Link
Luke Hankins says,
Google map of the hospital ship Mercy at her home berth: Link. We stumbled on it a few months ago after having been pointed at this
building: Link