Jutlandia
Encyclopedia
MS Jutlandia (lat.
: Jutland
) was contracted by and built for the East Asiatic Company
(EAC) in 1934, as a combined passenger and cargo ship at EAC's Nakskov
Shipyard, Denmark
. Following an extended operational life in which she also served as a hospital ship and a royal yacht
, she was finally decommissioned in 1965.
and Bangkok
. She operated on this route from November, 1934, until January, 1940, and again from 1954 to the end of 1964.
Jutlandia was the only ship in the EAC fleet to be designed with a Meyer bow. She is the second of so far three ships of the same name.
When World War II
broke out in September, 1939, the ship had just arrived at Rotterdam
en route for Copenhagen. As Denmark was not yet part to the war, she completed this and one further voyage to Bangkok, finally returning to Copenhagen in January, 1940.
Following its arrival in Copenhagen, Jutlandia was placed at the disposal of the Danish Government. It was sent to Argentina
to collect a consignment of grain, returning to Copenhagen on March 31, 1940. On April 1, it was sent to Nakskov Shipyard for routine overhaul. Jutlandia was in dry-dock when Germany attacked and occupied Denmark on April 9, 1940. Due to a shortage of diesel oil, Germany did not seize the Jutlandia. Instead, she was laid up at the Slotø island in a small inlet close to the shipyard, together with two other motorships from the EAC fleet, the M/S Java and M/S Falstria, manned only by a skeleton crew for maintenance.
Here it remained until the end of the War, despite an allied air raid on May 3, 1945. During the attack the Java was sunk, while Falstria suffered some flooding and a fire. Jutlandia got off with some bullet holes and a minor fire in a cargo hold.
The Jutlandia was fully seaworthy again by August 11, 1945 and re-entered commercial service between Europe
and the East Coast of the USA.
n communist forces attacked South Korea
on June 25, 1950, Denmark agreed to provide assistance to the UN and to give humanitarian support to the allied forces in South Korea
. The decision was not uncomplicated: the mood between the superpower
s were extremely tense, and Denmark had to find a way to support the UN without being aggressive. Almost instantly, medical supplies were made available, and after negotiations Denmark also agreed to send a hospital ship
. In the fall of 1950, EAC again agreed to place the ship at the disposal of the Danish Government, whilst it was en route to New York
.
The jobs on board were well sought after. At the time 42 nurses were needed - between 3,000 and 4,000 nurses applied and about 200 were selected for interviews. Doctors and nurses were allocated four to a cabin.
The bulk of the hospital staff were mature and stable people. This selection was made especially in view of the badly injured patients that could be expected on board. This was not something that young people should see. The average age was around forty.
Danish Red Cross was manning, organizing and running the hospital. EAC supplied the ship's crew. The state paid.
Jutlandia had Captain
Kai Hammerich as senior officer. He quit his job as president for the Danish Red Cross to be able to go on the mission to Korea. He kept his rank as naval officer (in Denmark his rank, Kommandør is only one step below a rear admiral), in order to improve his ability to liase with the military leaders of the U.N. forces. He was also the contact person to the Red Cross and the Danish State.
Consultant, senior doctor Mogens Winge was second in command and hospital chief. Captain Christen Kondrup, Jutlandias skipper through many years, stayed on board as the ship's master. In case of a maritime crisis, the command over the ship would automatically transfer to Kondrup, according to maritime law.
As the hospital crew had to handle soldiers, everybody had military rank in spite of the fact that they were civilians. During the stay in Korea, visiting Allied officers were amused about how civilian everything was on board.
(the Danish national flag), the Red Cross, and the UN flag
. The day before the departure, she was visited by King Frederik
and Queen Ingrid
. The King knew Hammerich quite well. While he still was a crown prince
Hammerich was his senior officer in the navy. The crown prince had behaved in a careless way during an exercise, and literally got a slap in the face from Hammerich as punishment.
At the departure speeches were made and a small service held, and the foreign minister, a brass band and about 10.000 freezing citizens were on the quay to see the ship off. Hammerich wanted public support. He didn't want Jutlandia to 'sneak off like a thief in the night'. She sailed with a crew of 97, and a hospital staff of 91.
Jutlandia was bound for Japan
, where she should report for duty at the UN staff. The travel was quite uneventful. There was - of course - the obligatory seasickness in the Biscaya
, and the hospital was needed for two patients: the ship's tailor was operated for appendicitis
, and senior doctor Tage Kjær fell and burst his achilles tendon
. He got a leg cast, stayed on board and did his duty on crutches.
During the transfer, the staff had to participate in some very basic military training (stand in line and salute), so they could present a nice front on arrival. For some, this was quite a nuisance - for others, a source of much joyful entertainment. Jutlandia made the journey in 38 days.
At the arrival, General MacArthur
was quite outspoken:
Jutlandia started her service in Pusan on March 10, 1951, about 200 km from the frontline. Depending on the intensity of the war, there were from less than 100 to over 200 wounded on board. At quiet times, there was a kind of competition with the American hospital ships to 'capture' patients.
Jutlandias hospital had a high and internationally respected standard. As a result of this, she got some of the most difficult cases. It soon turned out that there were about ten times more surgical than medical patients. The difference was due to the modern vaccines. During e.g. World War I
, the ratio was about one to one. Nobody worried much about departmental borders; with a bit of flexibility the patients were distributed where there was room.
Among the soldiers, Jutlandia was popular. She had room - there was only about half the number of beds as on a military hospital ship of same size - and advanced special clinics. That meant good chances for a successful treatment. The 'civilian treatment', the fact that the ship's cook very quickly learned to produce cheeseburger
s and ice-cream (and that you could get more than one helping) also helped ...
A number of soldiers had little notes in their pockets, or tied to their dogtags
: if they got wounded, they wished to get transferred to Jutlandia.
The Korean people's memory of Jutlandia is influenced from the fact that her hospital as the first, and possibly only, also treated civilian Korean citizens.
Most of the time, there were vacant beds. It didn't suit the crew and staff that the beds were unused, when they observed the hardship and misery in the civilian population. The female nurses were not allowed ashore, but the doctors and male nurses sometimes helped on improvised first-aid stations. Quite unofficially the local population got some aid, and in certain cases patients were brought on board. A number of orphans were found, some of those were sent onboard for some care, too. A small children's department was created in an unused corner of the officer's ward. The American captain McKeon
had started a small children's hospital, Happy Mountains, on the outskirts of Pusan. He got assistance from the ship's doctors. It went so far that medicine 'disappeared' from the storage - later to be 'refound' at the children's hospital. General MacArthur certainly got the initiative he had craved.
Urged by the doctors, Hammerich kept pushing the U.N. for permission to treat civilians. The permission arrived in July '51, under the condition that civilians were sent ashore, if wounded soldiers arrived. It did happen that civilians, despite the need for further treatment, were sent ashore. The crew and hospital staff felt miserable about it.
As the summer heat approached, Jutlandia was in a bad fettle without air conditioning. As a consequence, it was decided to send her to Europe as transport for sick and injured. She departed towards Rotterdam
in August '51. The tour had its problems - amongst other things, some of the patients wanted to leave the ship during harbour stays. As this wasn't possible, it became the center of some unrest, but in the end all the patients were brought home.
On the first tour there had been a lot of neurosurgical patients, on the second it was more lung- and jawsurgery that took the weight. 100 beds were at the disposal for the Korean military hospitals, and 100 more could be used for civilian Koreans. In the beginning the UN soldiers felt some discomfort about the Koreans, but the mood changed quickly. The children quickly became as popular with the soldiers as with the crew and staff, and could be found everywhere on the ship.
Even though Jutlandia had room for up to 350 patients, a reasonable load would be about 250, if the staff wasn't to be put under strain. On average, the load on this tour would be between 200 and 250 patients.
Korean doctors came on board, and were systematically educated to improve the standard. It was now 'legal' to do humanitarian work Danish style - to help where hardship was found, instead of waiting passively - the local humanitarian work ashore was continued, and school education started in the children's department. The local people were interested in Denmark, a cooperation with e.g. local priests and teachers was started: in the end a Danish - Korean friendship association was founded. The association still exists.
It gave certain cultural problems to have civilian patients. At that time in Korea it was the rule that the hospital dealt with the treatment of the patient, whereas the supply of the patient was his own problem. So, when a patient was brought on board, the entire family, including all cooking utensils, moved into the foot end of the bed. In some cases the family could be deeply aggravated, if they were not allowed to look after their sick - the hospital staff wasn't completely trusted. Some patients tried to avoid having their bed made: it showed, that they had hidden some of their food away under the pillow. It wasn't a normal occurrence to have food every day, so it was better to ration what was there in time...
After the initial problems, things improved. The strange habits of the foreigners became known and accepted, and the local patients were happy to get on board.
Jutlandias people became so engaged in the humanitarian work, that they often rejected their leave in Japan. Quite voluntarily, people took a double turn. The need of the often very sick Korean patients came first.
Much to the dismay of the Red Cross, no wounded P.O.W.'s were allowed on board. There was deep dissatisfaction that the Red Cross were only allowed to help one side in the conflict: it was felt that the impartiality of the Red Cross was in doubt. But the military leaders of the U.N. would not allow this. To overcome the problem, some of the doctors used their spare time to aid at operations in the hospitals that treated P.O.W.'s.
On March 29, 1952 Jutlandia sailed, bound for Japan. Another ambulance transport, but this time she was going all the way home to Denmark. She departed on April 21 with 194 patients on board.
It was a great help, that there were no psychiatric patients on board this time. Still, there was some quarreling between the patients. The problem was solved by putting the two biggest hotheads in each their own padded isolation cell. That did the trick.
, an eye clinic and some British ambulance motorboats during her August/September 1952 refit stay at Nakskov Skibsværft. An airconditioning system was ordered, this was installed in multiple stages, but first after the arrival in Japan. She departed Copenhagen on 20. September 1952, and reached Yokohama
on the 2. November. The helicopter deck was then inspected and approved.
On this tour, she was stationed in the Inchon bay, only about 40 km from the frontline. She arrived on the 20. November. This close to the front, the crew could sometimes observe the cannon fire, and so be prepared for the arrival of wounded. Thanks to the helicopter deck, occasionally wounded soldiers would be on board and under treatment 20 minutes after they got wounded.
Now the patients came directly from the front. Depending on the activity, this could some times give 24-hour business on board.
In march '53, things were especially hot. In only 3½ days, 169 wounded arrived, of these 81 were bad cases. In the whole of March 301 patients arrived - 104 by helicopter
, the rest by boat. This was a bit on the rough side for the medical staff. It was under consideration to get some reinforcements from home, but luckily things calmed down again.
The placement at anchor in the bay, as well as the larger amount of wounded soldiers, reduced the amount of help that could be given to the civilians. Nevertheless the crew found time to assist building a clinic ashore, that could provide help to the poor and sick.
As the war ground more and more to a halt, there was less for Jutlandia to do. It was suggested that she - as a civilian, neutral ship - should be the place where a truce could be negotiated, but the North Koreans rejected the idea. The truce was negotiated elsewhere, and went into effect on 27. July 1953.
Hammerich made trouble in Tokyo again. Jutlandia was sent out to do humanitarian work - any kind of humanitarian work - not to be in an idle standby position. There was no need for her anymore for military purposes, so she got sent home as an ambulance again. She departed for Yokosuka on the 16. August to transfer her last patients, then she was made ready in a Yokohama shipyard for the trip home. She departed from Tokyo on the 29. August with 229 patients and released P.O.W.'s on board
This third transport was easier than the two previous. Only 30 patients needed medical treatment. And the P.O.W.'s felt that just getting on board Jutlandia was equal to freedom, so they had no problems adapting to the ship's discipline.
She arrived to a hero's welcome in Copenhagen on the 16. October 1953. After 999 days UN service, she was under the Danish flag again.
All in all, during her service in Korea Jutlandias hospital cared for 4.981 wounded, allied soldiers from 24 different nations, as well as over 6.000 civilian Koreans (the number is uncertain: the correct number may be anything up to three times as many), of these an unknown number of children. Only 29 patients died. The most prominent civilian patient was the first President of the Republic of Korea, Syngman Rhee
. He was treated by the ship's dental clinic.
Following a refit at the Nakskov Shipyard, the Jutlandia resumed her normal duty between Copenhagen and Bangkok for the first time since 1939.
when EAC placed it at the disposal of the king of Thailand
and his suite during the official visit to Scandinavia
by Their Majesties King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit
. From Copenhagen, the Royal couple sailed in Jutlandia to Oslo
, the capital of Norway
, and Stockholm
, the capital of Sweden
.
Following the visit, the ship returned to normal duty.
Three years later Jutlandia was selected to sail Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Margrethe (from 1972, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark
) on her official visit to the Far East, via Genoa
, Heraklion
, the Suez Canal
, Aden
, Karachi
, Sri Lanka
, Singapore
, Bangkok and Hong Kong
. On its return to Denmark, the ship resumed its commercial operations between Copenhagen and Bangkok.
. On January 14, 1965, she left Copenhagen on her last ever cruise to Bilbao
, where she was scrapped.
, a major hit in Denmark in 1986, brought her to public attention again. The song praises the role of Jutlandia in the Korean War
.
On June 15th 1990, on Langelinie
, the promenade quay in Copenhagen, a memorial stone for Jutlandia was revealed. The stone is a blok of Korean granite, sailed from Pusan to Copenhagen on the "new" Jutlandia, now an 80000 HP. containership.
The text - in Danish and Korean - is as follows:
"23. January 1951 - 16. October 1953.
Denmark's contribution to the United Nations during the Korean War.
This stone from Korea is given in gratitude by the Korean veterans."
Jutlandia is now a part of the Danish history, and a part of the Danish self-awareness. In a dark and gloomy age, she stands out as a symbol for "doing the right thing": bringing peace, aid and comfort to an area ravaged by war.
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
: Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
) was contracted by and built for the East Asiatic Company
East Asiatic Company
The East Asiatic Company was founded by Hans Niels Andersen in Copenhagen in 1897. Service which would eventually include both passenger and freight lines between the Danish capital, Bangkok and the far east was the initial objective. Routes to include the Baltic and Black Seas were...
(EAC) in 1934, as a combined passenger and cargo ship at EAC's Nakskov
Nakskov
Nakskov is a town in south Denmark. It is in Lolland municipality in Region Sjælland on the western coast of the island of Lolland. The town has a population of 13,560 . To the west is Nakskov Fjord, an inlet from the Langeland Belt that runs between the islands of Lolland and Langeland...
Shipyard, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. Following an extended operational life in which she also served as a hospital ship and a royal yacht
Royal Yacht
A royal yacht is a ship used by a monarch or a royal family. If the monarch is an emperor the proper term is imperial yacht. Most of them are financed by the government of the country of which the monarch is head...
, she was finally decommissioned in 1965.
History
Jutlandia was contracted by EAC in 1934, to replace older ships on the then regular service between CopenhagenCopenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
and Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
. She operated on this route from November, 1934, until January, 1940, and again from 1954 to the end of 1964.
Jutlandia was the only ship in the EAC fleet to be designed with a Meyer bow. She is the second of so far three ships of the same name.
World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
broke out in September, 1939, the ship had just arrived at Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
en route for Copenhagen. As Denmark was not yet part to the war, she completed this and one further voyage to Bangkok, finally returning to Copenhagen in January, 1940.
Following its arrival in Copenhagen, Jutlandia was placed at the disposal of the Danish Government. It was sent to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
to collect a consignment of grain, returning to Copenhagen on March 31, 1940. On April 1, it was sent to Nakskov Shipyard for routine overhaul. Jutlandia was in dry-dock when Germany attacked and occupied Denmark on April 9, 1940. Due to a shortage of diesel oil, Germany did not seize the Jutlandia. Instead, she was laid up at the Slotø island in a small inlet close to the shipyard, together with two other motorships from the EAC fleet, the M/S Java and M/S Falstria, manned only by a skeleton crew for maintenance.
Here it remained until the end of the War, despite an allied air raid on May 3, 1945. During the attack the Java was sunk, while Falstria suffered some flooding and a fire. Jutlandia got off with some bullet holes and a minor fire in a cargo hold.
The Jutlandia was fully seaworthy again by August 11, 1945 and re-entered commercial service between Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the East Coast of the USA.
Korean War
When North KoreaNorth Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
n communist forces attacked South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
on June 25, 1950, Denmark agreed to provide assistance to the UN and to give humanitarian support to the allied forces in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. The decision was not uncomplicated: the mood between the superpower
Superpower
A superpower is a state with a dominant position in the international system which has the ability to influence events and its own interests and project power on a worldwide scale to protect those interests...
s were extremely tense, and Denmark had to find a way to support the UN without being aggressive. Almost instantly, medical supplies were made available, and after negotiations Denmark also agreed to send a hospital ship
Hospital ship
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 of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones....
. In the fall of 1950, EAC again agreed to place the ship at the disposal of the Danish Government, whilst it was en route to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Refit
The Danish Government undertook the refitting of Jutlandia as a modern hospital ship, again at Nakskov Shipyard, and consigned it to Korea. She had four operation theatres, four hospital departments with up to 356 beds, X-ray eye and dental clinics as well as laboratories, dispensary and special departments.The jobs on board were well sought after. At the time 42 nurses were needed - between 3,000 and 4,000 nurses applied and about 200 were selected for interviews. Doctors and nurses were allocated four to a cabin.
The bulk of the hospital staff were mature and stable people. This selection was made especially in view of the badly injured patients that could be expected on board. This was not something that young people should see. The average age was around forty.
Status
The civilian status of Jutlandia was greatly emphasized. As all other hospital ships, she was painted white with red crosses on the side, but opposed to the 1½ meter high green stripe painted along the side of the military hospital ships, Jutlandia had a red stripe.Danish Red Cross was manning, organizing and running the hospital. EAC supplied the ship's crew. The state paid.
Jutlandia had Captain
Captain (nautical)
A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
Kai Hammerich as senior officer. He quit his job as president for the Danish Red Cross to be able to go on the mission to Korea. He kept his rank as naval officer (in Denmark his rank, Kommandør is only one step below a rear admiral), in order to improve his ability to liase with the military leaders of the U.N. forces. He was also the contact person to the Red Cross and the Danish State.
Consultant, senior doctor Mogens Winge was second in command and hospital chief. Captain Christen Kondrup, Jutlandias skipper through many years, stayed on board as the ship's master. In case of a maritime crisis, the command over the ship would automatically transfer to Kondrup, according to maritime law.
As the hospital crew had to handle soldiers, everybody had military rank in spite of the fact that they were civilians. During the stay in Korea, visiting Allied officers were amused about how civilian everything was on board.
Departure
On January 23, 1951 she was sent to Korea. She sailed under 3 flags: DannebrogDannebrog
Dannebrog may refer to;* The national Flag of Denmark* Order of the Dannebrog : A Royal Danish decoration....
(the Danish national flag), the Red Cross, and the UN flag
Flag of the United Nations
The flag of the United Nations was adopted on October 20, 1947, and consists of the official emblem of the United Nations in white on a blue background. The emblem's design is described as:...
. The day before the departure, she was visited by King Frederik
Frederick IX of Denmark
Frederick IX was King of Denmark from 20 April 1947 until his death on 14 January 1972....
and Queen Ingrid
Ingrid of Sweden
Ingrid of Sweden was a Swedish princess and the queen consort of King Frederick IX of Denmark.-Background:...
. The King knew Hammerich quite well. While he still was a crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
Hammerich was his senior officer in the navy. The crown prince had behaved in a careless way during an exercise, and literally got a slap in the face from Hammerich as punishment.
At the departure speeches were made and a small service held, and the foreign minister, a brass band and about 10.000 freezing citizens were on the quay to see the ship off. Hammerich wanted public support. He didn't want Jutlandia to 'sneak off like a thief in the night'. She sailed with a crew of 97, and a hospital staff of 91.
Jutlandia was bound for Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, where she should report for duty at the UN staff. The travel was quite uneventful. There was - of course - the obligatory seasickness in the Biscaya
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
, and the hospital was needed for two patients: the ship's tailor was operated for appendicitis
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is classified as a medical emergency and many cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of the risk of rupture leading to...
, and senior doctor Tage Kjær fell and burst his achilles tendon
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon , also known as the calcaneal tendon or the tendo calcaneus, is a tendon of the posterior leg. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the calcaneus bone.- Anatomy :The Achilles is the tendonous extension of 3 muscles in the lower leg:...
. He got a leg cast, stayed on board and did his duty on crutches.
During the transfer, the staff had to participate in some very basic military training (stand in line and salute), so they could present a nice front on arrival. For some, this was quite a nuisance - for others, a source of much joyful entertainment. Jutlandia made the journey in 38 days.
At the arrival, General MacArthur
MacArthur
MacArthur or Macarthur may refer to:-Geography:* Division of Macarthur, Sydney* General MacArthur, Eastern Samar, Philippines* John D...
was quite outspoken:
"... There is war out here, a hard war, not like some Danish newspapers write: a Police raid ... I expect endurance, determination, discipline and initiative ..."
Jutlandia started her service in Pusan on March 10, 1951, about 200 km from the frontline. Depending on the intensity of the war, there were from less than 100 to over 200 wounded on board. At quiet times, there was a kind of competition with the American hospital ships to 'capture' patients.
Jutlandias hospital had a high and internationally respected standard. As a result of this, she got some of the most difficult cases. It soon turned out that there were about ten times more surgical than medical patients. The difference was due to the modern vaccines. During e.g. World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the ratio was about one to one. Nobody worried much about departmental borders; with a bit of flexibility the patients were distributed where there was room.
Among the soldiers, Jutlandia was popular. She had room - there was only about half the number of beds as on a military hospital ship of same size - and advanced special clinics. That meant good chances for a successful treatment. The 'civilian treatment', the fact that the ship's cook very quickly learned to produce cheeseburger
Cheeseburger
A cheeseburger is a hamburger with cheese that has been added to it. Traditionally, the cheese is placed on top of the patty, but the burger can include many variations in structure, ingredients, and composition...
s and ice-cream (and that you could get more than one helping) also helped ...
A number of soldiers had little notes in their pockets, or tied to their dogtags
Dog tag (identifier)
A dog tag is the informal name for the identification tags worn by military personnel, named such as it bears resemblance to actual dog tags. The tag is primarily used for the identification of dead and wounded and essential basic medical information for the treatment of the latter, such as blood...
: if they got wounded, they wished to get transferred to Jutlandia.
The Korean people's memory of Jutlandia is influenced from the fact that her hospital as the first, and possibly only, also treated civilian Korean citizens.
Most of the time, there were vacant beds. It didn't suit the crew and staff that the beds were unused, when they observed the hardship and misery in the civilian population. The female nurses were not allowed ashore, but the doctors and male nurses sometimes helped on improvised first-aid stations. Quite unofficially the local population got some aid, and in certain cases patients were brought on board. A number of orphans were found, some of those were sent onboard for some care, too. A small children's department was created in an unused corner of the officer's ward. The American captain McKeon
McKeon
McKeon or MacKeon is an Irish surname originating both from the Gaelic Mac Eoghain and Mac Eoin , which are pronounced identically...
had started a small children's hospital, Happy Mountains, on the outskirts of Pusan. He got assistance from the ship's doctors. It went so far that medicine 'disappeared' from the storage - later to be 'refound' at the children's hospital. General MacArthur certainly got the initiative he had craved.
Urged by the doctors, Hammerich kept pushing the U.N. for permission to treat civilians. The permission arrived in July '51, under the condition that civilians were sent ashore, if wounded soldiers arrived. It did happen that civilians, despite the need for further treatment, were sent ashore. The crew and hospital staff felt miserable about it.
As the summer heat approached, Jutlandia was in a bad fettle without air conditioning. As a consequence, it was decided to send her to Europe as transport for sick and injured. She departed towards Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
in August '51. The tour had its problems - amongst other things, some of the patients wanted to leave the ship during harbour stays. As this wasn't possible, it became the center of some unrest, but in the end all the patients were brought home.
Second tour
After resupplying in Rotterdam, Jutlandia went to sea again. She arrived on November 13 at Pusan. A large part of the personnel had been replaced - some doctors got so short notice, that they couldn't get on board the ship, but were flown to Korea.On the first tour there had been a lot of neurosurgical patients, on the second it was more lung- and jawsurgery that took the weight. 100 beds were at the disposal for the Korean military hospitals, and 100 more could be used for civilian Koreans. In the beginning the UN soldiers felt some discomfort about the Koreans, but the mood changed quickly. The children quickly became as popular with the soldiers as with the crew and staff, and could be found everywhere on the ship.
Even though Jutlandia had room for up to 350 patients, a reasonable load would be about 250, if the staff wasn't to be put under strain. On average, the load on this tour would be between 200 and 250 patients.
Korean doctors came on board, and were systematically educated to improve the standard. It was now 'legal' to do humanitarian work Danish style - to help where hardship was found, instead of waiting passively - the local humanitarian work ashore was continued, and school education started in the children's department. The local people were interested in Denmark, a cooperation with e.g. local priests and teachers was started: in the end a Danish - Korean friendship association was founded. The association still exists.
It gave certain cultural problems to have civilian patients. At that time in Korea it was the rule that the hospital dealt with the treatment of the patient, whereas the supply of the patient was his own problem. So, when a patient was brought on board, the entire family, including all cooking utensils, moved into the foot end of the bed. In some cases the family could be deeply aggravated, if they were not allowed to look after their sick - the hospital staff wasn't completely trusted. Some patients tried to avoid having their bed made: it showed, that they had hidden some of their food away under the pillow. It wasn't a normal occurrence to have food every day, so it was better to ration what was there in time...
After the initial problems, things improved. The strange habits of the foreigners became known and accepted, and the local patients were happy to get on board.
Jutlandias people became so engaged in the humanitarian work, that they often rejected their leave in Japan. Quite voluntarily, people took a double turn. The need of the often very sick Korean patients came first.
Much to the dismay of the Red Cross, no wounded P.O.W.'s were allowed on board. There was deep dissatisfaction that the Red Cross were only allowed to help one side in the conflict: it was felt that the impartiality of the Red Cross was in doubt. But the military leaders of the U.N. would not allow this. To overcome the problem, some of the doctors used their spare time to aid at operations in the hospitals that treated P.O.W.'s.
On March 29, 1952 Jutlandia sailed, bound for Japan. Another ambulance transport, but this time she was going all the way home to Denmark. She departed on April 21 with 194 patients on board.
It was a great help, that there were no psychiatric patients on board this time. Still, there was some quarreling between the patients. The problem was solved by putting the two biggest hotheads in each their own padded isolation cell. That did the trick.
Third tour
Before the third tour, Jutlandia got a helicopter deckHelicopter deck
A helicopter deck is a helicopter pad on the deck of a ship, usually located on the stern and always clear of obstacles that would prove hazardous to a helicopter landing...
, an eye clinic and some British ambulance motorboats during her August/September 1952 refit stay at Nakskov Skibsværft. An airconditioning system was ordered, this was installed in multiple stages, but first after the arrival in Japan. She departed Copenhagen on 20. September 1952, and reached Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
on the 2. November. The helicopter deck was then inspected and approved.
On this tour, she was stationed in the Inchon bay, only about 40 km from the frontline. She arrived on the 20. November. This close to the front, the crew could sometimes observe the cannon fire, and so be prepared for the arrival of wounded. Thanks to the helicopter deck, occasionally wounded soldiers would be on board and under treatment 20 minutes after they got wounded.
Now the patients came directly from the front. Depending on the activity, this could some times give 24-hour business on board.
In march '53, things were especially hot. In only 3½ days, 169 wounded arrived, of these 81 were bad cases. In the whole of March 301 patients arrived - 104 by helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
, the rest by boat. This was a bit on the rough side for the medical staff. It was under consideration to get some reinforcements from home, but luckily things calmed down again.
The placement at anchor in the bay, as well as the larger amount of wounded soldiers, reduced the amount of help that could be given to the civilians. Nevertheless the crew found time to assist building a clinic ashore, that could provide help to the poor and sick.
As the war ground more and more to a halt, there was less for Jutlandia to do. It was suggested that she - as a civilian, neutral ship - should be the place where a truce could be negotiated, but the North Koreans rejected the idea. The truce was negotiated elsewhere, and went into effect on 27. July 1953.
Hammerich made trouble in Tokyo again. Jutlandia was sent out to do humanitarian work - any kind of humanitarian work - not to be in an idle standby position. There was no need for her anymore for military purposes, so she got sent home as an ambulance again. She departed for Yokosuka on the 16. August to transfer her last patients, then she was made ready in a Yokohama shipyard for the trip home. She departed from Tokyo on the 29. August with 229 patients and released P.O.W.'s on board
This third transport was easier than the two previous. Only 30 patients needed medical treatment. And the P.O.W.'s felt that just getting on board Jutlandia was equal to freedom, so they had no problems adapting to the ship's discipline.
She arrived to a hero's welcome in Copenhagen on the 16. October 1953. After 999 days UN service, she was under the Danish flag again.
All in all, during her service in Korea Jutlandias hospital cared for 4.981 wounded, allied soldiers from 24 different nations, as well as over 6.000 civilian Koreans (the number is uncertain: the correct number may be anything up to three times as many), of these an unknown number of children. Only 29 patients died. The most prominent civilian patient was the first President of the Republic of Korea, Syngman Rhee
Syngman Rhee
Syngman Rhee or Yi Seungman was the first president of South Korea. His presidency, from August 1948 to April 1960, remains controversial, affected by Cold War tensions on the Korean peninsula and elsewhere. Rhee was regarded as an anti-Communist and a strongman, and he led South Korea through the...
. He was treated by the ship's dental clinic.
Following a refit at the Nakskov Shipyard, the Jutlandia resumed her normal duty between Copenhagen and Bangkok for the first time since 1939.
Royal yacht
In September, 1960, Jutlandia became a Royal YachtRoyal Yacht
A royal yacht is a ship used by a monarch or a royal family. If the monarch is an emperor the proper term is imperial yacht. Most of them are financed by the government of the country of which the monarch is head...
when EAC placed it at the disposal of the king of Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and his suite during the official visit to Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
by Their Majesties King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit
Sirikit
Somdet Phra Nang Chao Sirikit Phra Borommarachininat , is the queen consort of Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand. She is the second Queen Regent of Thailand...
. From Copenhagen, the Royal couple sailed in Jutlandia to Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, the capital of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, and Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, the capital of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
Following the visit, the ship returned to normal duty.
Three years later Jutlandia was selected to sail Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Margrethe (from 1972, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark
Margrethe II of Denmark
Margrethe II is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of Denmark. In 1972 she became the first female monarch of Denmark since Margaret I, ruler of the Scandinavian countries in 1375-1412 during the Kalmar Union.-Early life:...
) on her official visit to the Far East, via Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, Heraklion
Heraklion
Heraklion, or Heraclion is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete, Greece. It is the 4th largest city in Greece....
, the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
, Aden
Aden
Aden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
, Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Bangkok and Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. On its return to Denmark, the ship resumed its commercial operations between Copenhagen and Bangkok.
Decommissioning
Jutlandia completed its final voyage between Bangkok and Copenhagen on December 19, 1964, was unloaded and left EAC's rosterRoster
A roster is a list of names of people involved with an organization of some kind.A roster can be a list of people and the times when they are required to work or a list of students in a classroom....
. On January 14, 1965, she left Copenhagen on her last ever cruise to Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
, where she was scrapped.
Aftermath
For reasons unknown, Jutlandia was slowly forgotten, until the song Jutlandia by Kim LarsenKim Larsen
thumb|250px|Kim Larsen, Nibe Festival 2009.Kim Melius Flyvholm Larsen is a Danish rock musician.Inspired by The Beatles and rock and roll, Larsen began as a songwriter and guitarist...
, a major hit in Denmark in 1986, brought her to public attention again. The song praises the role of Jutlandia in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
.
On June 15th 1990, on Langelinie
Langelinie
Langelinie is a pier, promenade and park in central Copenhagen, Denmark, and home of the statue of The Little Mermaid. The area has for centuries been a popular destination for excursions and strolls in Copenhagen...
, the promenade quay in Copenhagen, a memorial stone for Jutlandia was revealed. The stone is a blok of Korean granite, sailed from Pusan to Copenhagen on the "new" Jutlandia, now an 80000 HP. containership.
The text - in Danish and Korean - is as follows:
"23. January 1951 - 16. October 1953.
Denmark's contribution to the United Nations during the Korean War.
This stone from Korea is given in gratitude by the Korean veterans."
Jutlandia is now a part of the Danish history, and a part of the Danish self-awareness. In a dark and gloomy age, she stands out as a symbol for "doing the right thing": bringing peace, aid and comfort to an area ravaged by war.
External links
Nearly everything is in Danish.- Hospitalskibet Jutlandia (Danish Hospitalship Jutlandia)
- Dansk Marinehistorie (Danish Naval History)
- Færgejournalen (Danish Ferry Journal)
- Seaman's life - seamen and ships of the EAC
- Nakskov Ships- and nautical museum
- Kristine K.N. Midtgaard: Jutlandia-ekspeditionen: tilblivelse og virke 1950-53 (Dansk Udenrigspolitisk Institut, København 2001) (Official analysis)
- Peter Frederiksen: Jutlandia - Danmark i Korea-krigen (Høst & Søn, København 2006) (Interviews with the old crew: background info)
- The text for Kim Larsen's Jutlandia
- Cover-version of Kim Larsens Jutlandia at Youtube