By the time the Comfort docked in Canton Pier on Tuesday, only about 800 of the original 1,000 people were still on board. The ship had stopped in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and in Norfolk, Va., giving crew the chance to leave the ship then. Also, about 80 family members and 110 other ship riders boarded the Comfort in Norfolk on a "tiger cruise," so civilians could ride along with crew members.
Ryanjon Milan, a 22-year-old nursing student whose mother worked on the Comfort as a nurse, experienced the tiger cruise. After a week on board, he left the ship and met back up with his mother on Tuesday. He wants to join the Navy after he graduates, and said his mother's naval work has inspired his career path.
"She was definitely a big influence," said Milan, part of a crowd of about 100 people who awaited the ship's arrival. He painted a "welcome home" sign for her and climbed a Dumpster for a better view as the ship slowly approached its berth.
