The Washington herald., 1921-02-27
PERFECT HOSPITAL
ship SAILS SEAS
UNDER U.S.. FLAG
First Vessel in World to
Be Built From Keel Up
For Such Purpose.

Equipped with every modern de-
vice for safety, comfort and care OF
sick and wounded, the Relief. mas
ter hospital ship of the world, has
been completed at the Philadelphia
Navy Yard. She is now heading
South to Join the Atlantic, fleet. al
ready on its way home from joint
maneuvers with the Pacific fleet in
Guantanamo Bay.
The Relief is the first ship in the
world to be built from the keel up
for military hospital purposes. The
navy has three other hospital ships
the Solace. Mercy and Comfort,
but they are converted merchant
men.
Bed Capacity 500.
! With a bed capacity for 500 pa
tients, the Relief Incorporates in
design and equipment all the ap-
pointments of a modern hospital
and Is. in addition. a medical supply
depot ready to fill the emergency
needs OF. all vessels of the Atlantic
feet. In her hold is a complete
field hospital, with tentage. drugs.
instruments, ambulance. etc. avail
able for a landing party at a time
like the Vera Cruz incident, or In
the event of catastrophes resulting
from fire, earthquakes or tidal wave.
In the hospital division of the
vessel are fourteen wards ana
rooms for nineteen officer patients.
At each gangway entrance are To-
Gated small operating or dressing
rooms, where injury cases may be
received and cleaned before being
sent into the wards. This arrange
ment is the result of lessons learned
by the British in the Gallipoli cam
paign. where the wounded were
often in an appalling condition from
having lain unattended from TWEEN
ty-four to forty-eight hours.
Berths Detachable.
The wards are amidships, where
the least amount of pitch Is felt.
There is forward and aft group,
with an elevator service for each.
The second deck Is the connectins
passage. so that there is access by
stretcher between the hospital de-
partments without exposing a pa
tient to the weather Thus, such
special rooms as the X-ray, the
hydro-therapeutic and the dressing
rooms are available from all parts
Of the ship.
All berths are detachable, so that
II necessary the patient can be re-
moved without taking him from his
berth. Because the overhead decks
OF ship, or the ceilings, are neces-
sarily low and because patients
usually lie on their backs looking
upward, the lighting arrangement is
such that 1t is impossible for the
light to shine directly into the eyes
of the sick.
Has Diet Kitchen.
The after part of the Relief is de-
signed for the care of contagious
disease. Here there are four small
wards, each with its separate sani-
tary arrangements, and with ade,
quate means for disinfection and
preventing spread of contagion.
In addition to the galley where
meals are prepared for the average
patient, there is a diet kitchen from
which the food is routed to the
various ward pantries by means of a
portable cafeteria. By this means
hot food for the sick is assureC-
Instead Of going to the cafeteria,
the cafeteria goes to the patient.
An unusual feature of the vessel
Is mechanical COW" which pro-
vfdes milk for the sick. This is an
apparatus for taking milk. apart"
or removing the water from the
solids. The solids keep almost in
definitely. and when milk is needed,
water is added.
White with Green Stripe.
The Relief is 4S3 feet long, 10000
tons displacement, oil burning and
turbine propelled. In accordance
with agreements of the Geneva con-
ference and The Hague convention,
she Is painted white with a wide
green stripe from stem to stern.
On each side of the hull and the
stack is a large, red cross, and atop
Is great cross worked out in red
electric lights so that hostile air
craft cannot mistake her mission OF
neutrality
Construction of the vessel was au-
thorized by the General Board of
the navy in 1910. but it was not un-
til 1916 that Congress appropriated
the money. The keel was laid in
1917, but construction was suspended
on account Of the war. Work was
resumed late in 1919, and the fin
ishing touches were put on last
month.