MS Jutlandia (lat.: Jutland) was contracted by and built for the East Asiatic Company (EAC) in 1934, as a combined passenger and cargo ship at EAC's Nakskov Shipyard, Denmark. Following an extended operational life in which she also served as a hospital ship and a royal yacht, she was finally decommissioned in 1965.
History
Jutlandia was contracted by EAC in 1934, to replace older ships on the then regular service between Copenhagen and Bangkok. She operated on this route from November 1934, until January 1940, and again from 1954 to the end of 1964. Jutlandia was the only ship in the EAC fleet to be designed with a Maierform bow. She is the second of so far three ships of the same name.
Passengers were accommodated in nine single and twenty-nine double staterooms with all double staterooms provided with a private bath. The dining room could seat seventy with smoking room, ladies lounge, bar and foredeck swimming pool also provided for passenger use. A dining and play room were provided for children. Passenger spaces were ventilated by chilled or heated air. Cargo holds provided capacity.
World War II
When World War II broke out in September 1939, the ship had just arrived at Rotterdam en route for Copenhagen. As Denmark was not yet part to the war, she completed this and one further voyage to Bangkok, finally returning to Copenhagen in January 1940.
Following her arrival in Copenhagen, Jutlandia was placed at the disposal of the Danish Government. She was sent to Argentina to collect a consignment of grain, returning to Copenhagen on 31 March 1940. On 1 April, she was sent to Nakskov Shipyard for routine overhaul. Jutlandia was in dry-dock when Germany attacked and occupied Denmark on 9 April 1940. Due to a shortage of diesel oil, Germany did not seize the Jutlandia. Instead, she was laid up at the Slotø island in a small inlet close to the shipyard, together with two other motorships from the EAC fleet, the MS Java and MS Falstria, manned only by a skeleton crew for maintenance.
Here she remained until the end of the War, despite an allied air raid on 3 May 1945. During the attack the Java was sunk, while Falstria suffered some flooding and a fire. Jutlandia got off with some bullet holes and a minor fire in a cargo hold.
The Jutlandia was fully seaworthy again by 11 August 1945 and re-entered commercial service between Europe and the East Coast of the United States.
Korean War
When North Korean communist forces attacked South Korea on 25 June 1950, Denmark agreed to provide assistance to the United Nations Command and to give humanitarian support to the allied forces in South Korea. The decision was not uncomplicated: the mood between the superpowers was extremely tense, and Denmark had to find a way to support the UN without being aggressive. Almost instantly, medical supplies were made available, and after negotiations Denmark also agreed to send a hospital ship. In the fall of 1950, EAC again agreed to place the ship at the disposal of the Danish Government, whilst she was en route to New York City.
Refit
The Danish Government undertook the refitting of Jutlandia as a modern hospital ship, again at Nakskov Shipyard, and consigned her to Korea. She had four operation theatres, four hospital departments with up to 356 beds, X-ray, eye, and dental clinics, as well as laboratories, dispensary, and special departments.
The jobs on board were well sought after. At the time 42 nurses were needed. Between 3,000 and 4,000 nurses applied and about 200 were selected for interviews. Doctors and nurses were allocated four to a cabin.
The bulk of the hospital staff were mature and stable people. This selection was made especially in view of the badly injured patients that could be expected on board. This was not something that young people should see. The average age was around forty.
Status
The civilian status of Jutlandia was greatly emphasized. As all other hospital ships, she was painted white with red crosses on the side, but opposed to the 1½ meter high green stripe painted along the side of the military hospital ships, Jutlandia had a red stripe. Danish Red Cross was manning, organizing and running the hospital. EAC supplied the ship's crew. The state paid.
Jutlandia had Captain Kai Hammerich as senior officer. He quit his job as president for the Danish Red Cross to be able to go on the mission to Korea. He kept his rank as naval officer (in Denmark his rank, Kommandør, is only one step below a rear admiral) in order to improve his ability to liaise with the military leaders of the U.N. forces. He was also the contact person to the Red Cross and the Danish State.