Navy A case for Canadian Hospital Ships

DAVEBLOGGINS

Committed member
Naval Specialist
Professional
Messages
198
Reactions
5 323
Nation of residence
Canada
Nation of origin
Canada
Hospital ships are excellent vehicles of international policy, diplomacy and humanitarian efforts. They can provide humanitarian assistance during disasters, advanced medical treatment, services and on-board medical training. These ships are internationally protected in accordance with Protocol 1 of the Geneva Conventions of 1949. In a domestic environment, hospital ships can augment or replace provincial medical infrastructure during disasters, and provide alternate treatment facilities and hospital beds during an outbreak of highly infectious pathogens such as the current COVID-19 crisis. Furthermore, Canadian hospital ships could contribute to Canadian development and expansion in the Arctic by providing advanced medical care to remote, medically underserved, northern communities.

Unlike field hospitals or deployable emergency response units such as Canada’s Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DART), hospital ships require little in terms of support from ashore, are relatively easy to support logistically, and are inherently mobile. They are capable of deploying domestically or world-wide and are self-sufficient when they reach their destinations. Further, hospital ships (and embarked patients and staff) can easily be moved in the face of natural or man-made threats. Hospital ships can be pre-positioned to areas such as the Caribbean during hurricane season in the same way that Canada currently deploys its warships. Hospital ships provides their own power, air conditioning, heat, fresh water, food, medical oxygen, stores and medical supplies as well as safe, comfortable and secure accommodations and workspaces for medical staff. They can accommodate advanced medical diagnostic equipment such as MRIs, CT Scans, X-ray equipment, surgical suites, etc., and operate advanced medical equipment in controlled environmental conditions.

When not deployed, hospital ships can be maintained by skeleton crews while medical staff return to their primary employment. When deployed, medical staff for these ships can be drawn from a variety of sources such as contracted medical personnel, volunteers, non-governmental organizations, as well as from the Canadian Forces medical services. Medical staff can be flown to meet Canadian forward deployed hospital ships, when activated by the Canadian government. Medical personnel can be rotated in and out of theatre as required, thus allowing more opportunities for medical professionals to find time to serve on board.

There are only three countries in the world that operate ‘dedicated’ hospital ships: the United States, China and Russia. Britain is seriously considering building their own dedicated Hospital ship as well. The use of USNS Comfort and Mercy deployed to both Los Angeles and New York during the current COVID-19 pandemic have been a useful and a much-needed response. In 2005 the U.S. deployed both hospital ships, to New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to provide alternate advanced medical capabilities to those facilities that were damaged in the hurricane. USNS Mercy was also deployed as well after 9/11, to supplement the existing medical infrastructure in New York City. China and the United States worked together to deploy their hospital ships to the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 and the United States deployed one to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and to Aceh, Indonesia after the 2004 tsunami. Great Britain deployed its ‘converted’ Royal Fleet Auxiliary Casualty Reception Ship RFA Argus, to Sierra Leone in 2015 in response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

It begs the question, could Canada have used these kind of relief ships as well? Most hospital ships began their lives in other roles. USN Ships Comfort and Mercy were built as USN oil tankers before undergoing conversion. While new-build Canadian hospital ships are certainly within the capabilities of the Canadian shipbuilding industry, conversion of existing commercial ship designs might prove to be the most cost-effective alternative. Currently, there are a number of relatively new and inexpensive cruise, container and tanker ships available for sale or lease on the commercial market that could easily be converted into modern hospital ship designs. Several Canadian shipyards have the capacity to convert these ships into “dedicated” hospital ships.

Hospital ship projects such as the "Global Mercy Hospital Ship" just completed in China and now being outfitted in Belgium could be built here in Canada and have regional benefits for shipyards and included in our National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). Much of the specialized medical equipment could be sourced through Canadian companies, contributing to the Canadian economy. So, given the inherent value of national assets like dedicated hospital ships, their contribution to Canada’s ability to project soft power, the ability to contribute to Canadian international development and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief response during crises, and their affordability, Canada should seriously consider acquiring such dedicated hospital ships for domestic and humanitarian response.
 

Attachments

  • OIP.jpg
    OIP.jpg
    9.5 KB · Views: 141
  • CTB017431.jpg
    CTB017431.jpg
    182.1 KB · Views: 112
  • HOSPITAL SHIPS.jpeg
    HOSPITAL SHIPS.jpeg
    596.8 KB · Views: 139
  • mercyUK.jpg
    mercyUK.jpg
    158.6 KB · Views: 104
  • Global_Mercy_Exterior.jpg
    Global_Mercy_Exterior.jpg
    135.8 KB · Views: 110
Last edited:

trishna_amrta

Experienced member
Messages
1,606
Reactions
1,925
Nation of residence
Indonesia
Nation of origin
Indonesia
Considering 🇨🇦 geographic location being that far north, a hospital ship that is built around an existing icebreaker hull would be most suitable. Has anyone there ever consider that, or does the line of thinking revolt upon providing emergency healthcare service trough air bridge (helicopter)?
 

DAVEBLOGGINS

Committed member
Naval Specialist
Professional
Messages
198
Reactions
5 323
Nation of residence
Canada
Nation of origin
Canada
Considering 🇨🇦 geographic location being that far north, a hospital ship that is built around an existing icebreaker hull would be most suitable. Has anyone there ever consider that, or does the line of thinking revolt upon providing emergency healthcare service trough air bridge (helicopter)?
Hello trishna_amrta. Yes, Canada has already done that with the acquisition of a doubled hull cargo ship. Davie Shipyard turned it into an Interim AOR (MV Asterix) for the RCN for about $450M CAD and has been doing yeoman service while the JSS ships are being built. We could very well do the same with another Cargo Carrier or two and turn them into hospital ships as the US has done. :cool:
 

Gary

Experienced member
Messages
7,548
Reactions
21 12,108
Nation of residence
Indonesia
Nation of origin
Indonesia
I think a repurposed civilian vessel (ferries,cruise ships) will have to add aviation facilities like hangar and helo deck, consider the draught of the ships which could hamper the ship to go close to shore. It will necessitate helo to ferry victims and patients.

Or you could make a dedicated hospital ships from an already existing military design. We recently mofified an already proven LPD design into a hospital ship, which we remove the rear ramp door (usually for amphib tanks) and increase the interior volume maximized for treatment.

images
 

DAVEBLOGGINS

Committed member
Naval Specialist
Professional
Messages
198
Reactions
5 323
Nation of residence
Canada
Nation of origin
Canada
I think a repurposed civilian vessel (ferries,cruise ships) will have to add aviation facilities like hangar and helo deck, consider the draught of the ships which could hamper the ship to go close to shore. It will necessitate helo to ferry victims and patients.

Or you could make a dedicated hospital ships from an already existing military design. We recently mofified an already proven LPD design into a hospital ship, which we remove the rear ramp door (usually for amphib tanks) and increase the interior volume maximized for treatment.

images
That could be done as well but I think the San Antonio class is better suited for what it does now.;)
 

Ted Barnes

Active member
Naval Specialist
Professional
Messages
86
Reactions
1 93
Nation of residence
Canada
Nation of origin
Canada
Hello trishna_amrta. Yes, Canada has already done that with the acquisition of a doubled hull cargo ship. Davie Shipyard turned it into an Interim AOR (MV Asterix) for the RCN for about $450M CAD and has been doing yeoman service while the JSS ships are being built. We could very well do the same with another Cargo Carrier or two and turn them into hospital ships as the US has done. :cool:
Actually Davie has turned the ship into a tanker conversion which they lease to the RCN for 620M for 5 years and have added 71M to that amount due to underestimating its usage. I want to make it perfectly clear that the RCN do not own Asterix and it hasn't really been used that much due lately to its high lease cost. So much so that it hasn't used as HADR ship even though it was in Halifax during several very damaging Hurricanes and Earthquakes, one of which was last week with Haiti.
Fundamentally I have no problem with hospital ships in general but we don't seem to want anything to do with them given our record of sending ships to help is fairly sporadic. If we did aquire them I want the RCN to have nothing to do their upkeep or operation, too few maintenance dollars available.
 

DAVEBLOGGINS

Committed member
Naval Specialist
Professional
Messages
198
Reactions
5 323
Nation of residence
Canada
Nation of origin
Canada
Actually Davie has turned the ship into a tanker conversion which they lease to the RCN for 620M for 5 years and have added 71M to that amount due to underestimating its usage. I want to make it perfectly clear that the RCN do not own Asterix and it hasn't really been used that much due lately to its high lease cost. So much so that it hasn't used as HADR ship even though it was in Halifax during several very damaging Hurricanes and Earthquakes, one of which was last week with Haiti.
Fundamentally I have no problem with hospital ships in general but we don't seem to want anything to do with them given our record of sending ships to help is fairly sporadic. If we did aquire them I want the RCN to have nothing to do their upkeep or operation, too few maintenance dollars available.
Hello Ted Barnes. Yes, the Canadian government has leased the "MV" Asterix for the RCN as an Interim AOR from a private company with an option for the government to buy it outright after or before the lease is up for around $4-450M CAD. That is why it is called the "MV" Asterix and not designated as an HMCS ship. A majority of the crew however are RCN reg force personnel. If hospital ships were to be acquired, at least "part" of the crew wIll most likely be, made up of CF reg force Medical personnel along with RCAF helicopter SQNs. Double-hulled RO/RO high speed container ships would be ideal for conversion to dedicated hospital ships by Canadian shipyards under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). They could be mutually maintained by both Transport Canada and DND. The cost of doing HA/DR operations?:unsure:
 

Ted Barnes

Active member
Naval Specialist
Professional
Messages
86
Reactions
1 93
Nation of residence
Canada
Nation of origin
Canada
Hello Ted Barnes. Yes, the Canadian government has leased the "MV" Asterix for the RCN as an Interim AOR from a private company with an option for the government to buy it outright after or before the lease is up for around $4-450M CAD. That is why it is called the "MV" Asterix and not designated as an HMCS ship. A majority of the crew however are RCN reg force personnel. If hospital ships were to be acquired, at least "part" of the crew wIll most likely be, made up of CF reg force Medical personnel along with RCAF helicopter SQNs. Double-hulled RO/RO high speed container ships would be ideal for conversion to dedicated hospital ships by Canadian shipyards under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). They could be mutually maintained by both Transport Canada and DND. The cost of doing HA/DR operations?:unsure:
Yes MV is the ship and the actual running of the ship is civilian personnel staffed through federal fleet, the rest is NRU (Naval Replenishment Unit) which are made up of reg/res personnel. Some recommendations from the PBO question the utility of buying the Asterix as its upkeep will increase as it ages and it is not a new hull. If the CF are to be involved hopefully the RCN has no part as the Dockyard at least in Halifax doesn't have the room especially with future fleet being built. Regardless not even on the radar for the CF as a capability and on the shelf with ideas such as nuclear submarines, and aircraft carriers.
 
Top Bottom