Doctors on the USNS Burlington, SNS Burlington (T-EPF 10), a Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport, provided free medical care to more than 3,500 patients in Limón Province.

The vessel, operated by the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command, docked in Limón Port on July 16 as part of the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command's Continuing Promise 2024 mission.

In the country arrived around 30 U.S. Navy medical personnel, including general practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, radiologists, dentists, optometrists, and biomedical technicians from the Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Commands from Portsmouth, Jacksonville, Great Lakes, Pensacola and Camp Lejeune. 

In partnership with Social Security, the U.S. health team offered free medical aid such as general medicine, dental, gynecology, optometry, eye exams, ultrasounds and electrocardiograms among others, said the U.S. Embassy in its statement.

Similarly, a team of U.S. veterinarians worked with experts from Costa Rica's National Animal Health Service to give medical care to farm animals in Matina, Valle de la Estrella, San Clemente, and the Cabécar and Bribri indigenous communities. The U.S. donated $50,000 to support this mission in medicines such as dewormers, vaccines, antibiotics and healing creams.

Furthermore, Navy engineers, known as Seabees, set up a support mission for Limón City High School. The project included repairing classrooms, roof rebuilding and electrical wiring restoration. The U.S. Command granted $17,000 to complete this assignment.

During their mission, the U.S. Fleet Forces Band "Uncharted Waters" performed free concerts at different places in Limón Province, including Tomás Guardia School, Professional Technical College, Moín Port School, Limón's House of Culture, Limón City College, and Namaldi School.

Additionally, U.S. personnel provided medical training at the Atlantic Ports Board's JAPDEVA facility at Limón Beach. They also organized a series of seminars on gender-based violence prevention as part of the mission's Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) program.

"Continuing Promise serves as another example of Limón's importance to the U.S. government," U.S. Ambassador Cynthia Telles noted. "Providing health and well-being to Limón residents, training police officers in tactical medicine, improving educational infrastructure, encouraging women to combat domestic violence, and sharing our culture via music reflects our commitment to Limón."

SNS Burlington is an expeditionary fast transport (EPF) operated by Military Sealift Command and crewed by 26 Civil Service Mariners led by Ship Master, Capt. Tyler Driscoll. The crew composition follows a commercial model of bridge and engineering watches.


The ship is a shallow draft, all aluminum, commercial-based catamaran capable of regional transport of personnel and cargo lift, providing combatant commanders high-speed sealift mobility with inherent cargo handling capability and agility to achieve positional advantage over operational distances.

The Continuing Promise 2024 is the vessel's third mission in Costa Rica. They previously held the aid mission in Puntarenas in 2011 and Limon in 2010.

On Saturday, the ship arrived in Puerto Cortes, Honduras, to continue with its Continuing Promise 2024 mission.