HMHS is an acronym for His/Her Majesty's Hospital Ship.
Early modern era Seventeenth century The earliest record of British hospital ship was Goodwill, which briefly accompanied a Royal Navy squadron in the Mediterranean in 1608 or 1609. From 1665 the Royal Navy formally maintained two hospital ships at any time, these being either hired merchant ship or elderly sixth rates, modified from their original design by the removal of internal bulkheads and addition of ports cut through the deck and hull for ventilation. The limit of two hospital ships at a time remained in place until the Nine Years' War at century's end. In 1691 there were four hospital ships in service, rising to five in 1693 and six in 1696.
In addition to their sailing crew, these seventeenth century hospital ships were staffed by a surgeon and four surgeon's mates. Standard medical supplies were bandages, soap, needles and bedpans, and patients were issued with a clean pair of sheets. Infectious patients were quarantined from the general population behind a sheet of canvas. The quality of food was very poor. In the 1690s the surgeon aboard Siam complained that the meat was in an advanced state of putrefaction, the biscuits were weevil-ridden and bitter, and the bread was so hard that it stripped the skin from patient's mouths.
+ Vessel name Tons burthen Guns CrewHospital service Goodwill not recorded not recorded not recorded 1608 or 1609 Joseph 101 4 30-40 1665 Loyal Catherine 298 36-40 35 1665-1666 Maryland Merchant not recorded 41 40 1666 John's Advice 330 16 40-54 1672-1674 Unity 118 6-8 not recorded 1683 Welcome 78 10 not recorded 1683 Helderenberg 242 18-30 50 1688 Concord 352 22-30 45 1690-1695 Society 357 22-30 45 1690-1697 Baltimore 300/324 20 45 1691 Spencer 245 20 40-45 1691 London Merchant 250 22-30 30-45 1692-1696 Siam 333 22-30 45-58 1693-1697 Bristol 532 20 40-45 1692-1694, 1696-1697 Josiah 664 30 30 1696 Muscovy Merchant 250 24 45 1696 London Merchant 250 22-30 30-45 1692-1696
Eighteenth century
+ Vessel name Tons burthen Guns CrewHospital service Lewis 460 42 50 1701 Suffolk (frigate) 477 8-30 50-70 1701, 1713 Siam 333 2-30 45-58 1702-1703 Antelope 550 24-30 60-83 1702-1703, 1706-1708 Princess Anne 484 24-30 70-83 1702-1706 Jeffreys 513 20-26 60-73 1702-1708 Sarah and Betty 370 24 45-58 1702-1703 Smyrna Factor 355 24 45-50 1702-1703, 1705-1709 Suffolk (hoy) not recorded 10-30 80 1703-1704 Matthews not recorded not recorded 50-60 1705-1708 Martha not recorded 22 70-80 1707-1710 Leake not recorded 14 50-80 1708-1711 Arundel not recorded not recorded not recorded 1709 Pembroke not recorded 28 60-95 1709-1713 Delicia not recorded 22 63-65 1710-1713 Looe 553 12-42 60 1717-1718 Portsmouth not recorded not recorded not recorded 1731 Princess Royal 541 18 77 1740-1741 Scarborough 501 18 60 1740-1744 1065 60 not recorded 1771-1779 637 26 72 1779-1783 711 26 72 1780-1783
Boxer Rebellion HMHS Carthage HMHS Gwalior HMHS Maine
Second Boer War HMHS Avoca HMHS Dunera HMHS Lismore Castle HMHS Maine HMHS Nubia HMHS Orcana HMHS Princess of Wales HMHS Simla HMHS Spartan HMHS Trojan
World War I HMHS Aberdonian HMHS Agadir HMHS Albion HMHS Alexandra
HMHS Aquitania HMHS Araguaya HMHS Assaye
HMHS Berbice HMHS Brighton
HMHS Cambria HMHS Carisbrook Castle HMHS Cecilia
HMHS Copenhagen HMHS Delta HMHS Devanha HMHS Dieppe HMHS Donegal HMHS Dongola
HMHS Drina HMHS Dunluce Castle HMHS Dunvegan Castle
HMHS Egypt HMHS Ellora HMHS Erin HMHS Erinpura HMHS Essequibo HMHS Formosa HMHS Galeka
HMHS Glengorm Castle
HMHS Goorkha HMHS Grantala HMHS Grantully Castle HMHS Grianaig HMHS Guildford Castle HMHS Herefordshire HMHS Kalyan HMHS Kanowna HMHS Karapara HMHS Karoola
HMHS Kyarra
HMHS Letitia (1912), which served at Gallipoli.
HMHS Loyalty HMHS Madras HMHS Magic II HMHS Maheno HMHS Marama HMHS Mauretania HMHS Morea
HMHS Newhaven HMHS Oxfordshire HMHS Panama
HMHS Queen Alexandra
HMHS Rohilla
HMHS Sheelah HMHS Sicilia HMHS Somali HMHS Soudan HMHS St. Andrew HMHS St. Denis HMHS St. George HMHS St. Margaret of Scotland HMHS St. Patrick HMHS Sunbeam HMHS Syria
HMHS Takada HMHS Valdivia HMHS Varela HMHS Varsova HMHS Vasna HMHS Vita HMHS Wandilla HMHS Warilda HMHS Western Australia
Russian Civil War HMHS Braemar Castle HMHS Garth Castle HMHS Kalyan
Former Royal Naval Hospitals RNH Bighi (Malta) RNH Gibraltar RNH Haslar (Gosport England) RNH Mtarfa (Malta) RNH Portland (Portland England) RNH Simon's Town (South Africa) RNH Stonehouse (Devonport, England) RNH Hong Kong RNH Trincomalee (Trincomalee)
World War II HMHS Aba HMHS Amarapoora HMHS Amsterdam HMHS Atlantis HMHS Brighton HMHS Cap St Jacques
HMHS Dinard HMHS Dorsetshire HMHS Duke of Argyll HMHS Duke of Lancaster HMHS Duke of Rothesay HMHS El Nil HMHS Gerusalemme HMHS Isle of Guernsey HMHS Isle of Jersey HMHS Karapara HMHS Karoa HMHS Lady Connaught HMHS Lady Nelson HMHS Leinster HMHS Letitia HMHS Llandovery Castle
HMHS Manunda HMHS Maunganui HMHS Naushon
HMHS Oxfordshire HMHS Paris HMHS Prague HMHS St Andrew HMHS St David HMHS St Julien HMHS Tairea HMHS Talamba HMHS Takliwa HMHS Vasna HMHS Vita HMHS Wanganella HMHS Worthing
Falklands War hospital ships
RFA hospital ships Royal Fleet Auxiliary hospital ships:
(casualty receiving ship until 2024, not a hospital ship per Hague Convention X of 1907)
Citations Notes
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