MV ''Anastasis'' was a ,

hospital ship A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating healthcare, medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces (mostly navy, navies) of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or ...

owned and operated by the humanitarian organization

Mercy Ships Mercy Ships is an international charity based non-governmental organization that operates the largest non-governmental hospital ships in the world, providing Christian humanitarian aid, surgical care and surgical education in Africa, community ...

. Formerly named ''Victoria'', an Italian

ocean liner An ocean liner is a type of passenger ship primarily used for transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). The ...

built in 1953, the ship was purchased at scrap value of US $1 million in 1978. The ship was renovated and equipped as a fully functioning hospital ship to serve as the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

of the Mercy Ships fleet for 29 years until being succeeded by in 2007.

Service history

Early years and operational design

After purchase of ''Victoria'' in Italy, the ship was towed to

Eleusis Elefsina () or Eleusis ( ; ) is a suburban city and Communities and Municipalities of Greece, municipality in Athens metropolitan area. It belongs to West Attica regional unit of Greece. It is located in the Thriasio Plain, at the northernmost ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

where Mercy Ships spent four years renovating the cruise liner into a self-contained hospital ship, with three operating rooms, a 40-bed hospital ward, a dental clinic, and hospital support services including

x-ray An X-ray (also known in many languages as Röntgen radiation) is a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than those of ultraviolet rays and longer than those of gamma rays. Roughly, X-rays have a wavelength ran ...

equipment and a

laboratory A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratories are found in a variety of settings such as schools ...

. The ship was renamed ''Anastasis'', the Greek word for

resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions involving the same person or deity returning to another body. The disappearance of a body is anothe ...

, and sailed out of Greece on July 7, 1982 to her port of registry in

Valletta Valletta ( ; , ) is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 Local councils of Malta, council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157. As Malta’s capital ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

. ''Anastasis'' subsequently crossed the Atlantic Ocean and the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...

to dock in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

for her first supply and fundraising trip. Her first relief effort was conducted in the port of

Champerico Champerico is a town and municipality in the Retalhuleu department in southwestern Guatemala. It is a popular vacation spot for Guatemalans in the region. The picturesque beach town was founded on the Pacific Ocean in 1872, and the paved road to ...

, Guatemala, where Mercy Ships delivered food, seeds, clothing, and building materials. ''Anastasis'' was staffed by a crew of

volunteers Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergenc ...

from around the world, including

surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

nurses Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...

anesthesia Anesthesia (American English) or anaesthesia (British English) is a state of controlled, temporary loss of sensation or awareness that is induced for medical or veterinary purposes. It may include some or all of analgesia (relief from or prev ...

providers, mariners, and other ancillary service providers such as cooks and housekeeping staff. Mercy Ships maintain this volunteer-based staffing model to date, as well as employing local day-workers to serve as translators and patient aides in each nation they visit.

Field service

''Anastasis'' visited 275 ports over her lifespan, conducting 66 field assignments in 23 nations. When she was not conducting field services in developing nations, ''Anastasis'' visited ports worldwide for purposes of fundraising, publicity, maintenance, and resupply. From 1982 to 1988 the ship conducted primarily supply and relief operations, as well as being held up for 18 months to conduct further renovations to meet SOLAS standards as a passenger ship. In 1988, ''Anastasis'' performed her first field service as a fully functioning hospital ship in Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico, where ophthalmic,

maxillofacial Oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) is a surgical specialty focusing on reconstructive surgery of the face, facial trauma surgery, the mouth, head and neck, and jaws, as well as facial plastic surgery including cleft lip and cleft palate s ...

, and plastic reconstructive surgeries were performed on board the ship by volunteer medical crew. After conducting a tour of Europe to raise funds and awareness about Mercy Ships, ''Anastasis'' set sail in 1990 for her first visit to Africa, where Mercy Ships' focus would remain henceforth. ''Anastasis'' was originally headed to Ghana after several years of planning, but Mercy Ships' governmental invitation was frozen three weeks before departure. The ship instead went to Togo for her first African field service, visiting Guinea and Cote d'Ivoire next in 1991. In 1992 ''Anastasis'' visited Sierra Leone which, like Togo, Mercy Ships would return to repeatedly; both nations have hosted a Mercy Ship five times to date. ''Anastasis'' made her final West African visit in 2007 to Liberia, where Mercy Ships' next vessel, MV ''Africa Mercy'', met with the ship to take over. ''Anastasis'' was retired in 2007 and sailed to the ship breaking yard in Alang, India, for disassembly.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anastasis, MV Hospital ships 1951 ships