Keeping the nautical Doctors and Nurses theme going, the US Navy have two floating Hospitals. They are old school Oil Freighters which have been extensively renovated and modified and now cruise the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans stopping off at countries where either the people cannot afford basic medical care or the Government of those people cannot deliver essential medical care. So in the six months or so leading up to a two week visit from the USNS Mercy a group of Doctors and Nurses will visit and identify the medical needs of the people.
Then in that two week period, it is show time. Small inflatable craft and helicopters with crew and patients will head back and forth and the 6 Operating Theatres will be manned and in action attending to all sorts of medical procedures. I was told the only medical op they cannot do is Cardio-thorasic (I hope I got that right, it has been 4 years now) surgery. But it is estimated that in the 2 weeks and including the people they simply treat on land with medicines and first-aid, they attend to 15,000 Papua New Guineans and these lives are improved just a touch.
In their visit of 2008, they even saved the life of an Australian woman who was dying on the Kokoda Track.
Many of the Doctors who assist the floating Hospital are volunteers from other Military around the world, and it was impressive to go on board, check out how it operated and meet some of the crew. I also bumped into the PNG Governor-General who was having his own guided tour. Sir Paulius was a nice guy, we had a chat. He wasn't very tall, but what a smile!
Photo taken 13 August 2008, cropped to really make use of that negative space.
@houdiniem - No delivery service in 2008 in Port Moresby. Although on my last visit, I discovered that there is a new Food Station that delivers. I hope that driver knows how to drive quickly in reverse and on footpaths and across vacant blocks because he may need to know some evasive manoeuvres! That's a prick of a word to spell.
Great capture. Amazing services they provide. I once saw the Mercy stationed in San Diego when I visited my brother a few years ago. Massive ship. What I always found interesting was that although under international law, no hospital ship can be fired upon, there are instances where it can be.
I'm sure there's a more legal wording for this, but as I'm to lazy and literally bloody busy at work, here's the four reasons as per wiki a non-compliant hospital ship may be fired upon:
1. Diversion or capture is not feasible
2. No other method to exercise control is available
3. The violations are grave enough to allow the ship to be classified as a military objective
4. The damage and casualties will not be disproportionate to the military advantage.
Food for thought I suppose. Again, great capture. Like the contrast of colors and pov.
@losthorizon - in a slight comparison, during WW2, troops were sometimes transported on Merchant Vessels and so too were POWs. This meant when the Americans sank the Montevideo Maru, they believed they were sinking Japanese Troops, but unbeknownst to them, they sank a ship of POWs.
@hellcat - I was so amazed when I wandered around inside as to how much "good" was being performed and yes, by the American military! Changed my view a little... but then so has some of the people on this 365 project.
lol. I can understand your pov. I think the politicians and policies that are put forth in the name of the American people tends to make us all look really idiotic. Well, that and the actual idiots. ;)
@hellcat - I think for me, I grew up with images of the US looking like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit, Seattle, and knowing the population was like 15x the size of Australia, I just thought the USofA was simply concrete and steel. I saw some cowboys movies and there was dusty flat deserts...
For a young Australian living in a world of trees, creeks, long grass and mud, I kinda thought America was not that appealing... Photography and removal of my blinkers meant that the US now looks like an interesting place.
I see. I think I've dealt more with people being put off with our foreign policies than our large cities. Lots of open areas still around here, especially Colorado. We don't have very good grass though, not naturally that is. :) Some of the more outdoorsy states sound like they would appeal to you. Steer clear of Texas though... ;p
@hellcat - plenty of Cowboys up this way, and the rednecks used to start the western side of the range, but someone let them down here to the coast....
@webfoot - Cheers Paul, thanks!
@swilde - Thanks Sue :)
@stuckinoz - Cheers Janelle :D
@sebella - Hope you enjoy the journey!
@tthompsonca - It is Terri, and it was a positive response by the locals too!
@abhijit - Thanks.
@kjarn - Cheers Kathy A :)
@houdiniem - I wonder if he is calling home?
I'm sure there's a more legal wording for this, but as I'm to lazy and literally bloody busy at work, here's the four reasons as per wiki a non-compliant hospital ship may be fired upon:
1. Diversion or capture is not feasible
2. No other method to exercise control is available
3. The violations are grave enough to allow the ship to be classified as a military objective
4. The damage and casualties will not be disproportionate to the military advantage.
Food for thought I suppose. Again, great capture. Like the contrast of colors and pov.
For a young Australian living in a world of trees, creeks, long grass and mud, I kinda thought America was not that appealing... Photography and removal of my blinkers meant that the US now looks like an interesting place.