VOLUME V NUMBER 14, 4 APRIL i960
NEW NAME-NEW JOB
Washington (AFPS)-The Navy*s famed hospital ship Censolation is to be renamed the
Hope and will soon be plying far eastern waters on mercy missions and “people-to
people” voyages*
In a recent Pentagon ceremony the seagoing Korean War haven for thousands of
sick and wounded servicemen was formally chartered to Project Hope,the voluntary
organization' established to bring American medical skills to other peoples in
their own countries. . - - - - - r -
heartily endorsed by President Eisen
hower as well as other government* ind
ustrial *ind civic leaders* Project Hope
•is financed entirely by voluntary cont
ributions by individual American citi
zens* a Pentagon spokesman said,
Heart of the Project Hope plan is to
staff and equip the vessel as a. float
ing hospital, furnishing treatment and
medical instruction to natives of for
eign lands,
The project will furnish on-the-spot
evidence of American friendship and un
derstanding* project officials believe.
Top fulltime and rotating American med
ical doctors* dentists* nurses* sanit
ation and health experts will man the
floating hospital.
Displacing 11*400 tons, the ship will
accommadateSOO bed-patients and will be
outfitted with the latest medical equ4
; Ipment, The ship1s' operation will be
under the American President Lines*
in aaaitaon, -one vessel win carry
mobile motor units to transport treat
ment and training teams into the int
eriors of the visited countries. The
Hope will be available to ,the scenes
of disasters and epidemics.
Commissioned late in ; World War IX,
the .old Consolation saw its first com
bat support service at the start of the
Korean War.
Buring 1950, it supported the Inchon'
landing in Sept. 1950 and served thro
ugh the initial Chinese advance during"
November-December 1950. ■
From. January until April 1951* the
Consolation supported the first Allied
counteroffensive,the Chinese offensive
of Arpil-kay and the fall offensive of
the same year.It was the first hospit
al ship to be equipped with a flight
deck and to receive wounded in heli
copter shipboard landings4 The Hope
will-be transferred from the ^mothball
fleet” and refitted on the West coast.