As for all the questions about the hospital ships, I found this at the Navy’s page for the Mercy. Just a guess, but I don’t think they’re set up as a Level 1 trauma center, but I’m just guessing. It seems as their use is mainly to provide support for patients who are either not that sick/hurt, or as a stop-gap treatment for the patients on their way to Level 1.
This is what the Mercy says they have:
General Purpose Operating Suites: Eleven
Interventional Radiology Suites: One
Blood Bank Capacity: Five Thousand Units
Personnel Elevators: Ten
Patient Wards: Fifteen
Intensive Care Beds: Eighty
Overall Length: 894 Feet
Overall Width: 106 Feet
Full Load Displacement: 63,000+ Tons
Accommodations: 1,300+ Personnel
Meals Each Day: Capable of 7,000+
Fresh Water Produced Daily: 200,000+ Gallons
The 11 operating suites are full trauma capable. Anticipated flow is 1) field first aid; 2) Field Hospital in hot zone (Mash) if available (think Afghanistan/Iraq on ground); Transport to Hospital ship or more stable land hospital in operating area (think Hospital ship in Gulf or friendly country like Kuwait in region); then airlift out of Operating Area to a receding base hospital out of operating area (think Germany during recent ME conflicts); then stateside hospitals