The SS Hope was 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....

 operated by Project HOPE (USA)

Project HOPE (USA)

Project HOPE is an international health care organization founded in the United States in 1958. Its most visible aspect was the SS HOPE, the first peacetime hospital ship...

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The Hope was originally built as a US Navy hospital ship, USS Consolation (AH-15)

USS Consolation (AH-15)

USS Consolation was a Haven-class hospital ship originally in service with the United States Navy from 1945 to 1955. In 1960 she was chartered to the People to People Health Foundation and renamed and served for another 14 years until being scrapped in 1975.The USS Consolation was built as...

. The Consolation was donated to Project Hope in 1958, and served from 1960 until 1974, when she was retired. The SS HOPE was not replaced, and Project HOPE emphasis switched entirely to land-based operations.

Features

One special piece of equipment was a machine called the Iron Cow. Using distilled seawater, combined with milk solids and butterfat

Butterfat

Butterfat or milkfat is the fatty portion of milk. Milk and cream are often sold according to the amount of butterfat they contain.- Composition :The fatty acids of butterfat are typically composed as follows :...

, it was capable of turning out 2500 gallons of milk daily.