LINKS:
All About Hospital Ships
A good brief introduction written a few decades ago by A.H.Buckingham [USA].
U.S.Navy
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery Home Page
A wonderful official U.S.government(Navy) site packed full of useful information,leads,addresses/contact information and links.
U.S.Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery History Home Page
An excellent page with good links and usefull chronologies and bibliographies for further reading/research.
[History]U.S.Navy Hospital Ships
20 American naval hospital ships portrayed,described and brief chronological histories given from the Civil War Union hospital ship "RED ROVER" to the Vietnam War's "SANCTUARY". The principal source for the information has been the "Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships" (or DANFS).
Lost Liners - Honoring the Golden Age of Ocean Travel"
A beautifully designed site that includes information on the Aquitania and the Britannic as well as the current USNS MERCY.
Prisoners Of Napoleonic War On Prison Ships
A French site in English:Pierre Barthelemy SAMSON (b.1777-d.1828) was an English POW from 1803 to 1816(?). He possibly was imprisoned on one or more of the English "prison hospital ships".
Can anyone help? If so let HSI know!
Norfolk Naval Shipyard - USS JAMESTOWN Photograph
Photograph (undated but probably c.1880-1890's). Served as a hospital ship during a yellow fever epidemic in 1866 and in 1892 was transferred to the U.S.Marine Hospital Service.
[Touring Turn-of-the-Century America: Photographs from the Detroit Publishing Company,1880-1920 - Search by Keywords "hospital ships" = USS SOLACE]
18 photographs attributed to American photographer Edward H.Hart of personnel and ship USS SOLACE used by US Navy as a hospital ship during Spanish-American (or Cuban War) of 1898 including some interesting "underway" coastal scenes.
Hospitals In Malta Throughout The Ages Part 3: Seaman's [sic] Hospitals
C.Savona-Venura's very finely written and well researched history of hospitals including specifically hospital ships (though we could wish for more details on these last!).
Solace
Fine information including a rare photograph from 1915 depicting one of the earliest modern US Naval hospital ships.
The International Grenfell Association
Sir Wilfred Thomason Grenfell and English doctor founded the predecessor(s) of this organization which was formally incorporated in 1914 in the mid-1890's. Dr.Grenfell had gone as a medical missionary to help the fisherfolk and local inhabitants living in the isolated communities of the Newfoundland and Labrador coasts. He originally used small local fishing vessels to commute along the coast to deliver medical care but eventually had specially adapted vessels for this. We only hope that the current IGA which ceased health care activities directly from the early 1980's will post some more materials on the earlier hospital ships of the association(s).
[Touring Turn-of-the-Century America: Photographs from the Detroit Publishing company,1880-1920 - Search by Keywords
"Floating Hospital" = Floating Hospital for children,New York]
A c.1903 photograph of the St.John's Guild of New York,N.Y. floating hospital No.2 for infants and younger children.
De Hoop[Netherlands "Fisher" HS "Ships on Stamps"]
A 1933 Netherland's stamp depicting the Netherland's fisher hospital ship "De Hoop" built in 1912 and sold in 1955(modernized with engines during her service). A replacement vessel apparently operated after 1955(?).
Hospital Ships Of World War I [BRITISH]
A wonderfull site using a relative's diaries (who saw service throughout the First World War on several British hospital ships from start to finish)as well as good photos and fine ship histories.
ROHILLA
Steven Kirks's excellent page on his great-grandfather George Kirk who was lost when the British hospital ship ROHILLA was wrecked by grounding on Friday,October 30,1914. Some interesting illustrations make this site well worth a visit.
[The "Kyarra"]
Australian passenger ship requisitioned by British and used as a hospital ship during the war. On May 26,1918 while NOT serving as a hospital ship she was torpedoed by German submarine 1 mile south of Anvil Point,Swanage,Dorset(English Channel). Photo probably dating from c.1916 of ship as a HOSPITAL SHIP nicely reproduced on web page.
Charles Roux[French hospital ship "Ships on Stamps"]
French 1918 stamp for this World War I French hospital ship.
Britannic II (1914-1916)(Cunard Archives...)
Excellent text details from the shipping company owner's files on
one of the largest hospital ships ever to see service.
HMHS Britannic
An interesting site with well written (and until recently nice illustations)text especially on the sinking of this hospital ship in 1916.
Nova's[PBS-USA]Online/Titanic's Lost Sister(text)[Britannic]
Excellent site that includes the full transcript of the 1997 broadcast of the Dr.R.Ballard's search of the wreck site of the hospital ship attempting to find evidence of mine(s).
Project Britannic 1997
Kevin Gurr's (Saturday,October 25,1997 to Tuesday,November 11,1997) diving expedition web site. Apparently due to inclement weather prohibiting diving on certain days some interesting side scan sonar images were obtained. A total of 40 man dives on the site with over 800 minutes of bottom time were spent on the wreck but by the expedition leader's own admission not nearly enough time to explore the largest wreck under the seas.
HMHS Britannic 98 Technical Diving Expedition
Nick Hope's (expedition leader) web site (administered by Gerain Ffoulkes-Jones) on the latest archaeologically oriented expedition to the wreck of the Britannic.
The Official Britannic Research Centre
An excellent resource on the ship including a page listing all 30
fatalities of the Nov 1916 sinking. Highly recommended!
Pictures of US Navy Ships 1775-1941 [USS]RELIEF (AH-1)[1931]
By clicking on the hyperlink #61 a jpg image(large file)of a black and white photograph of the USS Relief(AH-1) from an aerial vantage point showing her starboard view and underway at sea dated October 15,1931 can be seen.
Newport News Shipbuilding[List of ships: Conversions...]
See "ANKARA" [ex-"Iroquois"/ex-"USS SOLACE"(AH-5)].
US Navy Hospital Ships,1940-1945
Excellent tablular formatted data on 15 US NAVAL hospital ships of World War II including hyperlinks to two (1 each) photographs of the USS RELIEF(AH-1) and USS SANCTUARY (AH-17)[though these need to be updated].
Sophia Monteville - Navy Nurse through and through"
A story written by Jacque Branson about Sophia Monteville a 101 year old U.S.Navy veteran nurse who served for most of the Second World War on the U.S.S.RELIEF hospital ship that includes several direct quotes about her hospital ship experiences.
The Normandy Invasion: The Story in Pictures"
Two colour reproductions down this page depicting LSTs(Landing Ship Tank)ships being used for casualty evacuations during June,1944. These vessels while not internationally recognized as fully fledged hospital ships which they were never intended to be did function as farily large capacity(300+ casualties) ambulance transports with surgical/medical staffs attached for emergency surgery if this was necessary.
[US Army Hospital Ships - 2 photos]
2 photos of U.S.Army hospital ships of World War Two:
"Blanche F.Sigman"(ex-SS Stanford White) [at dockside] and
"St.Olaf" [underway
The United States Army officially had two dozen hospital ships though not all of these were commissioner or served by the end of the war with Japan in August,1945. They are collectively an undeservedly neglected area of research.
Australian Hospital Ship Centaur
Excellent site dedicated to the history especially of the May 14,1943 sinking of this Australian hospital ship and with lots of graphics.
CENTAUR[Australia WW 2 "Ships on Stamps"]
A very fine painting issued as a commemorative stamp by the Australian Government in 1993.
Historic Shipwreck [Centaur Wreck Located]
July 13,1995 official press release by Australian Government announcing that exact location of CENTAUR wreck has been located by Royal Australian Navy and that the wreck site from 1990 onwards has been protected under historic shipwreck legislation.
HMHS Tjitjalengka
A great one page site full of hospital ship service details of this World War II Dutch-British hospital ship.
Pier21 Society: Ships: Letitia II
A fine photograph of the Second World War Canadian hospital ship LETITIA[II]. This was one of only two officially Red Cross marked full ships used by the Canadians during World War Two as a hospital ship.
Into to the Kriegsmarine Hospital Ships
An introduction to the differing types and classifications used by the World War Two German(Nazi) Navy of their medical purpose vessels.
Hospital Ships of the Kriegsmarine
An excellent tabulated format with many active hyper links that go to individual pages for each hospital ship listed! Even better than the American link above(1940-1945)!
Mitsubishi All Around ["Hikawa Maru" Japanese World War Two Hospital Ship]
A brief one page site with not much details but a nicely reproduced photograph showing the "Hikawa Maru" Japanese World War Two hospital ship's starboard profile.
Modelling the Hikawa Maru
A fine page(check others on this site) dealing with making a model of this still extant Imperial Japanese hospital ship.
Drama of Fake Hospital Ship Capture
A contemporary in-extenso reprint of an American journalist's (Arthur Vesey) [Chicago Tribune]report of the capture of the Japanese "hospital ship" TACHIBANA MARU in early August 1945 by two American warships the USS CHARRETTE and the USS CONNER.
looking for shamrocks?[United States Army Hospital Ship SHAMROCK]
An interesting and hopefull developing site devoted to the USAHS SHAMROCK and the 202nd. Medical Hospital Ship Complement
US Army Hospital Ship Thistle History
An excellent site with a very good history page on the THISTLE and the 206th. Hospital Ship Complement
Navy Web Chief - William L.Sadler, EMCS USN (Ret) - USS BENEVOLENCE
A wonderful personal site by a survivor of the sinking of the U.S. hospital ship "BENEVOLENCE" on August 25,1950 just off San Francisco,California. Excellent scans of immediate local newspaper articles on this incident.
The S.S.HOPE Sets Sail
A former U.S.Naval hospital ship from World War II and Korea is converted into a peacetime civilian run hospital ship to serve the developing world. First medical voyage commences in 1960 and last one underatken in 1973.
S.S.Hope
Phillip Johnson's interesting site on his model of the HOPE!
USS CONSOLATION(AH - 15)
A fine site dedicated to the late World War Two and Korean War services of this American naval hospital ship.
Hospital Ship USS SANCTUARY (AH-17)
A user friendly and finely designed web site by a Vietnam veteran who served aboard the hospital ship that saw extensive medical uses(especially for medevac or aeromedical evacuations from shore to ship)during the Vietnam War. Site covers entire history but is focussed on the Vietnam War experience reasonably so. The SANCTUARY is the same ship whose World War II photo is referred to above in the link to the US NAVY HOSPTIAL SHIPS,1940-1945. The excellent posted message bulletin board assists those seeking shipmates. We only wish many other hospital ship reunion groups and assocations would do the same!
REPPOSE Hosptial Ship USS REPOSE (AH-16)
A new site(as of January 1998)dedicated to the first American hospital ship to see service during the American Vietnam War. The hospital ship arrived in theater on February 14,1966 and returned to the United States for the last time in the spring of 1970. This ship shared duties typically at or near Da Nang with the SANCTUARY(see above). Very nice pictures of Vietnam service.
[Hospital Ship Repose (AH-16)]
Tom Swart's (a veteran of the ship during its Vietnam service) site on the ship. He has scanned pages from one of the two known cruise books plus additional ephemera such as materials that cover the ceremonies for initiating those who haven't crossed the equator before. He is soliciting materials for his site. Please help him out if you can with anecdotes,memories,pictures,photographs and the like.
Medical Support of the Mobile Riverine Force [ MRF ]
A fascinating and still unwritten history of the small ATC-H[Armoured Troop Carrier - Helicopter] vessels operated in the riverine and delta areas of former South Vietnam by American forces specifically the Mobile Riverine Force from 1967 to 1969 and that were converted and manned as mini-medical aid stations and emergency surgeries.
FALKLANDS - BATTLE ZONE SURGERY
A very fine site with several exterior and interior photographs of both British and Argentinian (latter exterior only) hospital ships that saw service during the 1982 Falkland Islands War(British code word: Operation Corporate). What makes this particular site useful are the direct quotes from participating survivors who saw service aboard some of the British hospital vessels.
Marimed Foundation - History of the Sailing School Vessel "TOLE MOUR"
Built in 1988 in Seattle Washington to the design of a New Zealand naval architect this vessel was originally designed "to support primary health care..." in Micronesia(Pacific Ocean). The name of the ship in English means "gift of life and health" in the Marshallese language. From 1988(1989?)to c.1992 medical service voyaging occurred. From 1992 she has been used as an educational school ship for special needs adolescents including those who have been found in trouble with the law.
[ ESPERANCA - boat(s) ]
The site of the American medical charity entitled "ESPERANCA." Over the decades this organization has assisted many persons in the Amazonian River system using several diverse crafts/vessels. One of these was the former San Diego ferry the POINT LOMA which in 1972 was purchased by Esperanca. After the ferry's conversion into a clinic ship it arrived in South America in May 1974. In 1983 the original ESPERANCA boat was placed out of commission after having seen service from 1943(!).
CANVASBACK SAILING MEDICAL MISSIONS
Established in the mid-1980's based on a 71 foot aluminum hulled sailing (auxiliary motor) hospital boat that serviced Micronesia and South-west Pacific isolated island communities. The 71 foot vessel will be shortly retired to be replaced by two large 133 foot motor ships.