SS Uganda

The Uganda was called up for military duty to serve in the Falklands War in 1982 while on cruise and discharged her 315 cabin passengers and 940 children, who were on an educational cruise, in Naples. Gibraltar rose to the occasion when she arrived here for her re-fit in the dockyard and staff worked around the clock to prepare her as a hospital ship in only three-days. A helicopter platform, fittings for replenishment at sea, satellite communications and wards and operating theatres were installed. In accordance with the Geneva convention, she was painted white with eight red crosses, two on each side of the hull, one facing forward on the bridge superstructure, one on the upper deck visible from the air and one on either side of her funnel. A team of 136 medical staff including 12 doctors, operating theatre staff and 40 members of the Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service, left Portsmouth to join her taking large quantities of medical supplies with them.

The survey vessels HMS Hecla, Hydra and Herald were also converted to ambulance ships to work with Uganda.