Hospital Ships

[Brian James]

Hospital Ship 'Maetsuycker' pictured in 1944...She was a Dutch Registered vessel, 4,131 GRT, 361 ft 6 in length, owned by Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij (KPM) of Batavia, Dutch East Indies was completed in 1937. She was converted to Hospital Ship at the cost of the Dutch government, crewed by Dutch Officer's and Javanese sailors to treat and transport 250 patients.She sailed under the control of the US Army for intra-theatre use, but was a Dutch Hospital Ship flying the Dutch Flag and certified by the Netherlands Government under the Hague Convention. She served in New Guinea and the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA) as part of the SWPA Command's permanent local fleet, Maetsuycker officially became a U.S. Hospital Ship on February 4th 1944.