A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces (mostly navies) of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones.
Attacking a hospital ship is a war crime. However, belligerent navies are entitled the right to board such ships for inspections.
Read more about Hospital Ship: International Law, History, U.S. Navy Hospital Ships, Legal Status
Famous quotes containing the words hospital and/or ship:
“The church is a sort of hospital for men’s souls, and as full of quackery as the hospital for their bodies. Those who are taken into it live like pensioners in their Retreat or Sailor’s Snug Harbor, where you may see a row of religious cripples sitting outside in sunny weather.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“You live on hopes, I guess. You always dream that someday you might have a lot of money, your ship might come in. But if the ship doesn’t come in, I’m going to work as long as I can.”
—Marion Gray (b. c. 1914)