5cjxburmr

7.12 HOSPITAL SHIPS, SICK-BAYS IN WARSHIPS, AND COASTAL RESCUE CRAFT7.12.1 Types of Hospital Ships and Coastal Rescue Craft.7.12.1.1 Military Hospital Ships. Military hospital ships, that is to say, ships builtor equipped by the Powers specially and solely with a view to assisting the wounded, sick, andshipwrecked, to treating them, and to transporting them, may in no circumstances be attacked orcaptured, but shall at all times be respected and protected on condition that their names anddescriptions have been notified to the parties to the conflict ten days before those ships areemployed. 281The characteristics, which must appear in the notification, shall include registered grosstonnage, the length from stem to stern, and the number of masts and funnels. 282Many States have employed ships that are equipped or converted into hospital ships,rather than building them specifically as hospital ships. 2837.12.1.2 Commissioned Civilian Hospital Ships. Hospital ships used by theNational Red Cross Societies, by officially recognized relief societies, or by private persons shallhave the same protection as military hospital ships and shall be exempt from capture, if the partyto the conflict on which they depend has given them an official commission and in so far as theprovisions of Article 22 of the GWS-Sea concerning notification have been complied with. 284These ships must be provided with certificates from the responsible authorities, stating that thevessels have been under their control while fitting out and on departure. 285281 GWS-SEA art. 22 (“Military hospital ships, that is to say, ships built or equipped by the Powers specially andsolely with a view to assisting the wounded, sick and shipwrecked, to treating them and to transporting them, may inno circumstances be attacked or captured, but shall at all times be respected and protected, on condition that theirnames and descriptions have been notified to the Parties to the conflict ten days before those ships are employed.”).282 GWS-SEA art. 22 (“The characteristics which must appear in the notification shall include registered grosstonnage, the length from stem to stern and the number of masts and funnels.”).283 For example, Department of State, Diplomatic Note given to the Iraqi Chargé d’affairs in Washington, D.C., Jan.19, 1991, reprinted as Annex II to Thomas R. Pickering, Letter Dated 21 January 1991 From the PermanentRepresentative of the United States of America to the United Nations Addressed to President of the Security Council,U.N. Doc. S/22122 (Jan. 21, 1991) (“The two hospital ships are ‘USNS Mercy’ (T-AH 19) and ‘USNS Comfort’ (T-AH 20). These two converted San Clemente class tankers, ex-SS Worth ex-SS Rose City, have identicalcharacteristics: … . Both ships are equipped specially and solely to assist, treat, and transport wounded, sick, andshipwrecked.”).284 GWS-SEA art. 24 (“Hospital ships utilized by National Red Cross Societies, by officially recognized reliefsocieties or by private persons shall have the same protection as military hospital ships and shall be exempt fromcapture, if the Party to the conflict on which they depend has given them an official commission and in so far as theprovisions of Article 22 concerning notification have been complied with.”).285 GWS-SEA art. 24 (“These ships must be provided with certificates from the responsible authorities, stating thatthe vessels have been under their control while fitting out and on departure.”).453