When the first wounded civilians were brought on board, the German medics were shocked. But the doctors and nurses were not prepared for the horrors that were awaiting them. The "Helgoland" reached the South Vietnamese capital Saigon in September 1966, protected by mine-detection ships. Last resort for civilians: Two "Helgoland" nurses with a Vietnamese child
Some 150 beds and three operating rooms were set up along the boat's 92 meters (300 feet). Instead of tourists, there were ten doctors and 30 nurses on board from the German Red Cross. Under protection of the Geneva Convention The German response was the deployment of the "Helgoland." In a rush, the German Red Cross had converted the boat into a hospital ship, as ordered by the German government. The US kept insisting on support from their Western German allies.
The Americans' entry into the war put pressure on the German government. Soon, communist North Vietnam and the US got involved as well. A violent civil war between communists and anti-communists had been raging in the country for years. The goal, roughly 12,000 kilometers (7500 miles) away: South Vietnam. In 1966, the "Helgoland" left for her longest journey yet. Soon, the little ship would have a much more serious purpose. But the Helgoland's days as a pleasure boat were coming to an end. Stressed-out city slickers wanted the boat to take them to the famous chalk cliffs, where they could relax. US estimates claim that between 200,000 and 250,000 south Vietnamese soldiers were killed and more than 58,000 US soldiers died or were missing in action when the final troops pulled out in March 1973.Passengers used to be able to find laughing children and fun times aboard the pleasure boat "Helgoland." The 1963-built vessel transported happy tourists from the northern German port town of Cuxhaven to the island of Helgoland. The Hanoi government estimate that in 21 years of fighting four million civilians were killed across North and South Vietnam and a further 1.1million communist fighters died. War crimes are said to have been committed by both sides and one of the most controversial aspects of the US military effort in South Asia was the widespread use of chemical defoliant which still damages crops and is said to cause disease in Vietnam today. The war itself gathered heavy opposition in the States and soldiers have since recalled being told by superiors to remove their uniforms before landing in the US to avoid being accosted by campaigners on their return home. The exhibition, entitled A Weather Walked In, opens this Friday at ADX. He has now decided to exhibit his work at a gallery in Portland, Oregon. Last year, he rediscovered his Vietnam photographs and decided to convert 1,700 film negatives into digital scans.Īfter looking at the photographs for the first time in 43 years, Mr Haughey could not sleep for three days. in May 1969, where he adopted a new career as a cabinet maker. Luckily, Mr Haughey escaped injury and returned home to the U.S. 'And, of course, there was the Viet Cong, which the infantrymen were constantly seeking out in the hostile jungle.' 'Wet rice paddies threatened tender feet.
#Vietnam war hospital conditions full
The jungle was full of fire ants, hornet nests, bugs, and leaches.
'The oppressive heat would hit over 100 degrees as soon as the sun came up. In the field, first platoon was faced with mortars, machine guns, and booby traps. 'The fire support base had to be maintained and protected. He had to follow his comrades around as they carried out dangerous tasks such as mine-sweeping, blowing up Vietcong tunnels and flying helicopters.ĭescribing the harrowing experience on Flickr, Mr Haughey said: 'Being in first platoon meant hard work. However, if the young soldier hoped that his new job would take him off the front line, he would have been disappointed.
'If I pick up the papers, and I see pictures and stories about the guys in my outfit, then you can do anything you want.' 'You are not a combat photographer - this is a morale operation,' the colonel told him. The senior officer told him that the battalion photographer had been injured and that he would take up the role - but Mr Haughey was under strict orders to point his camera away from the battlefield.
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