Capturing or sinking a hospital ship differs from attacking an ordinary auxiliary. Hospital ships carry extensive legal protections, so deliberate interference with them is especially serious. Some navies instead operate first-response ships with many of the same medical capabilities but without the hospital-ship designation. That distinction explains why the later actions against King Albert and Elektra carry more weight than two more losses in the campaign.
Notable Point · 27:15-28:42
Why some medical ships avoid hospital-ship status
The Adriatic's attacks on medical shipping lead to a distinction between legally protected hospital ships and less restricted first-response vessels with similar capabilities.