Hospital Ships

The first U.S. hospital ship of World War II saw service in mid–1943. By war’s end, the fleet had carried nearly 17,000 sick and wounded home. This richly illustrated work covers all 39 ships that served as U.S. Navy and Army hospital ships during World War II. Each ship’s history is fully covered, concentrating on the ship’s hospital service. Information is presented on each ship’s personnel, the handling of patients, types of wounds and diseases encountered, and life aboard the ships. General layouts of the ships and technical data are also included. Biographies are provided on persons for whom ships were named.

The story of hospital ships is a fascinating one indeed, about which little has been written except for isolated tragedies such as the sinking of the Centaur off the Australian coast in 1943.

It is often said The first casualty of war is the truth and there is no better example of this than the furore caused by the claims and counterclaims of the British and German Governments at the height of the First World War. Wounded allied personnel were invariably repatriated by hospital ships, which ran the gauntlet of mined waters and gambled on the humanity of the U-Boat commanders. For, contrary to the terms of the Geneva Convention, on occasions Germany had sunk the unarmed hospital ships under the pretense they carried reinforcement troops and ammunition. The press seized on these examples of Hun Barbarity, especially the drowning of noncombatant female nurses. The crisis heightened following the German Governments 1 February 1917 introduction of unrestricted naval warfare. The white painted allied hospital ships emblazoned with huge red crosses now became in German eyes legitimate targets for the U-Boats. As the war on the almost 100 strong fleet of hospital ships intensified the British threatened reprisals against Germany, in particular an Anglo-French bombing raid upon a German town. Undeterred the Germans stepped up their campaign sinking two hospital ships in swift succession. Seven hospital ships struck mines and a further eight were torpedoed. Faced with such a massacre of the innocents Britain decided her hospital ships, painted and brightly lit in accordance with the Geneva Convention, could no longer rely on this immunity. The vessels were repainted in drab colors, defensively armed and sailed as ambulance transports among protected convoys. Germany had successfully banished hospital ships from the high seas.

Campbell McCutcheon tells the story of the First World War hospital ships.

This publication shows designated first-aid providers how to diagnose, treat, and prevent the health problems of seafarers on board ship. This edition contains fully updated recommendations aimed to promote and protect the health of seafarers, and is consistent with the latest revisions of both the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines and the International Health Regulations.--Publisher's description.

Ships of Mercy tells the riveting true story of Mercy Ships, the astonishing fleet of hospital ships that sail the globe, bringing dramatic change to the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the most impoverished and disease-stricken corners of the world. Ships of Mercy is a page-turner of the highest quality, an inspiring testimony both to the essence of the human spirit and God's amazing providence. It tells the story of a teenager's extraordinary vision brought to reality in the form of a multi-million dollar life-saving mission. It also tells the story of a family of people from diverse backgrounds who have sacrificed their comfort and security in order to perform remarkable acts of grace and kindness.