Sanctuary (AH 17) - Naval Cruise Book

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

Page 175 text:

WD 4 ' -1 EEMX

Page 177 text:

Three other ships had a peculiar organization: The COMFORT. the HOPE. and the MERCY. These were Navy hospital ships. manned and operated by the Navy. but with an Army' medical and surgical staff. To write a complete history' of every' US. Hos- pital Ship would take many' volumes. furthermore complete data is difficult to obtain. thus vve will at- tempt to highlight some of the more significant facts and events of the ships. USS RELIEF tSecond RELIEH - Commissioned in l898. - First Hospital Ship to be commanded by a med- ical officer. - When the keel of the third RIiLIIiIf vvas laid in l9l7. the name of the second vvas changed to REPOSF, USS RELIEFIAII-ll - Commissioned 28 December IOZU - Ifirst ship built from the keel as a hospital ship. - Knovyn as the White lily to pre-Pearl Ilar' bor Navy men. .1 5'.. Nl - v . W, MRS. COOLIDGE VISITS USS RELIEF LAH-ll IQIS Sl-.COND RELIEF - I907 I SS SUI Xi I lXII'5l A L omniissionctl 'J Xllgtlsl I9-ll. Inst hospital slllp to he present in a Naval haiile when she cared lor casualties from the .lap- aiicsc attack on I'earl Ilarbor. - Iirst Ilospilal Ship to be refueled at sea while carrying a lull load of patients in November I943. - I-irst Ilospital Ship to receive patients directly from the combat area. during the Gilbert Islands campaign in I9-ll - Ilecommissioned 7 Nlarch I9-16. LSS CONIFORTI.-XII-ol - Commissioned 5 Slay I9-I-I. - First ship to be manned by a Navy' crew and .-Xrmy medical staff. - On the night of 28 Anril I9-15 near Okinawa. a Japanese Kamikaze plane attacked and crashed into the ship. lsilling Its personnel and injuring -I8. - Decommissioned I9 April I9-16. 173