Sanctuary (AH 17) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 175 text:

WD 4 ' -1 EEMX

Page 174 text:

.I I I' RII IQI X I IUN XNIJXNI I I'ARI:Cf'OUNClly '-Iwuxm IIIIMXIII IIIIINIJSWILLCOVER IIII I RIIISII1UUIx', ' LX I IS THIS THE.L'NlI-ORNIOIYTIII1ID.-NYT' I I I I I A FIRST I-'OR TIII-. S.-XNC I lf-XRY NIIRSIS E I I I I I I I I -In I I I I cucmmml I IINII I I XI NRI 'XIINI NII IIIIIINIH I 70

Page 176 text:

172 HISTORY OF I-IOSPIT L SHIPS The first ollieially designated hospital ship was the USS INI'RI-PID. She was a small kctch which had previously served as a Ireneh gunboat. a pirate ship under the Bashaw ol Tripoli. She was ollicialls designated a hospital ship in ISU-l during the war with Tripoli, ' The best known ol' the hospital ships and the first which was legitimately outfitted was the Civil War side-wheeler the RIQD RON'IiR. The RIQIJ ROVER was built at Cape Girardeau. Nlissouri in I859 and steamed the old Mississippi. She was eaptured from the Confederate States ol' .-Xmerica in ltiol. The L'nion Navy then fully converted her to the lirst complete Natal hospital aboard a lloating vessel. Commodore Foote described her as the most eomplete thing ol the kind that ever floated . . the icebox holds over 300 tons. She has bathrooms. laundry. elevator lor the siek lrom the lower to the upper deek. amputating room. nine dil'l'erent water closets. gauze blinds to the windows to keep the einders and smoke from annoying the sick. two sep- arate kitehens for sick and well. a regular corps ol' nurses. and two water elosets for evers deekf' I FIRST Rlil Ilzl' - H475 S.. Pl Tllli RIED ROVER - l862 It was aboard the RIiD ROVER that women lirsl became an ollieial part ol' the US. Naval Forces. It was here and in this time that the groundwork for the Navy Nurse Corps was laid. Ships have therealter been maintained as float- ing hospitals in every major war involving the United States lforees: The Spanish-Aineriean War. World War I. World War Il. the lsorean Conflict and pres- ently the Vietnam War. It was at the persistenee ol' Clara Barton and Presitlent fiailieltl that the llnited States became the 32nd signatory power to the Geneva Red Cross Con- vention on l lklarcli ISNI. Thus the ensign of the hospital vessels ol' this country became the Geneva Truss, antl has remainetl so ever since. The USS SOI At I was the lirst ship to lily the Geneva CroSS in the Spanish-fNtnerican War. U Vkith the exception ol' three ships. the HuSP'lf'l Ships liave the names ol' virtues which bring lest antl lit-tiling to the siek and wlottnded. The threti CX' eeptions. l'lNlsNlY, RIXI-Y. and TRYON, We nanietl lot latnotts sttrgeons ol' the Navy. i l I I i it l I ,.....-,-17 vw...-w ,-.W