Hospital ship USS Consolation (AH-15)

USS Consolation (AH-15) was a Haven-class hospital ship that served with the United States Navy from 1945 to 1955. In 1960, she was chartered by the People to People Health Foundation, renamed SS Hope, and continued to operate for another 14 years before being scrapped in 1975.

Consolation was originally built as Marine Walrus in 1944 by Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. in Chester, Pennsylvania. She was sponsored by Mrs. H. C. Wilson, acquired by the Navy on August 30, 1944, converted at Bethlehem Steel Co. in Hoboken, New Jersey, and commissioned on May 22, 1945.

During the Korean War, USS Consolation became the first hospital ship equipped with an 18-meter helicopter landing pad in 1951. In August, she participated in Operation «Passage to Freedom,» which involved transporting French troops from Vietnam to France. Afterward, she returned to Korea until March 1955 and was decommissioned on December 30, 1955.

Hope embarked on her inaugural voyage to Indonesia in September 1960, providing modern medical care and training. Subsequent voyages to underdeveloped regions included South Vietnam, Peru, Ecuador, Guinea, Nicaragua, Colombia, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Jamaica, and Brazil.

Hope was retired in 1974 after completing eleven voyages.