What hospital ships do during a war

What can hospital ships do in wartime?

They provide a protected forward hospital, receive casualties from the theatre, and continue surgery and recovery during evacuation.

A hospital ship places high-grade medical care close to an amphibious operation or another casualty-producing theatre. It can remain beyond the horizon and receive patients by helicopter. During evacuation, its surgical teams can treat patients while the ship carries them home. An aircraft evacuation usually concentrates on keeping patients stable during a much shorter journey, so the two systems offer different forms of support.