Page 21: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (July 15, 1974)

A Moran tug tows the Floating Hospital from Blount Marine in Warren, R.I., to New York. This is the largest vessel ever built in Rhode Island since World War II, and the largest to date for Blount Marine.

Blount Marine Delivers

The Floating Hospital doctors and nurses who volunteered their services, The Floating Hospital became the first purely pediatric service to be organized in the City of New York.

The first Floating Hospital was the rebuilt hulk of a burned out Hudson River steamer, rechristened the Emma Abbott. It served a generation of New Yorkers before being re- placed by the Helen C. Juilliard, Helen C.

Juilliard II, and the Lloyd I. Seaman, which was retired at the end of last season. Over the years, more than four million of New

York's needy children, parents, the handi- capped, and the elderly of every creed and color from New York's five boroughs, found aboard The Floating Hospital, medical, den- tal and psychological help in clinics staffed (Continued on next page)

The Floating Hospital, a 189-foot steel vessel, was recently delivered to Saint John's

Guild of New York City from the builder's yard, Blount Marine Corporation, Warren,

R.I.

The 900-passenger vessel was designed by

George G. Sharp Co. Modifications, styling and detail engineering was done by the

Blount engineering staff.

Inspection during construction was by the

U.S. Coast Guard and the American Bureau of Shipping. Douglas C. MacMillan, naval architect of Summit, N.J., and Robert M.

Cashman, naval architect of Hingham, Mass., represented the owners. The chairman of the shipbuilding committee was Townsend

Horner, a trustee of the Guild.

Sponsored by Saint John's Guild, a non- sectarian philanthropy founded in 1866, the new $2.5-million floating hospital is the fifth in the series of unique health facilities that has served more than four million of New

York's disadvantaged for over a century.

The Floating Hospital has been designed to function as a primary health facility in a recreational setting. Built at the Blount Ma- rine Corporation shipyard over a period of two and one-half years, it is an all-steel ves- sel, incorporating the most modern safety features and ecologically sound engineering equipment. This includes two 150-kw diesel electric generators and Colt Industries sew- age disposal equipment. There are ramps to accommodate wheel chairs, gleaming stain- less steel kitchen equipment, and the clinic area is planned for maximum flexibility and fitted with the most up-to-date equipment.

The new ship is heated and air-conditioned in the hope that additional funding will be forthcoming to permit an expanded sailing season.

Like its predecessors, the new Floating

Hospital is towed by tug rather than pro- pelled by its own engine. The absence of an engine is an additional space that would otherwise be occupied by the engine room.

The growth of the Floating Hospital proj- ect is closely linked with the development of health services in the New York community.

In 1872, Saint John's Guild, founded "to afford relief to the deserving poor, especi- ally children . . . without regard to creed, color or nationality," undertook the respon- sibility of continuing a project begun by The

New York Times, namely a recreational day on the water for youngsters from the city slums. During the following decade, the pro- gram known as The Floating Hospital grew rapidly to provide medical care, in addition to recreation for thousands of underprivi- leged children, particularly infants suffering from virulent summer infections. Staffed by

SPECIFICATIONS

Length Overall 189' 0"

Beam 49' 4"

Depth 10' 4"

Staff and Crew 100

Passengers 90

Generators Detroit Diesel by Hubbs Engine

Sewage Treatment Colt Industries

Air-Conditioning Carrier by ABCO Engineering

Heating Way-Wolff

Switchboards and Panels Smith-Meeker

Bilge, Fire, Freshwater Pumps Gould

Fixed Fire-Fighting System C-O-Two Sales

VHF Radio RF Communications

Public Address Systems Galbraith/Pilot Marine

Telephone Systems Hose-McCann Telephone

X-Ray Equipment Picker

Dental Equipment Rhode Island Dental Supply

Paints and Coatings Exxon

Interior Paneling and Ceilings Johns-Manville

Deck Covering Selby-Battersby

Furniture Delta International

Galley and Mess Areas Paramount Fountain & Restaurant

Joiner Doors Pioneer

Anchor Bald

Accommodation Ladders and Ramps W. & A.

Engineering

Medical Examining Room is one of several. Other fa- cilities include complete dental clinic, X-ray lab, and areas for screening and diagnostic work of all types.

Special Care Room is used for programs of regular therapy and education for children and parents of children with all types of handicaps. Adjoining is a large room with cribs and other nursery equipment for programs with young children and parents.

Play Deck with its high wide-span overhead will be used for a variety of recreational activities. One of the unique features of the Floating Hospital is the positive atmosphere provided in which to administer services and promote health education.

July 15, 1974 23