USS Sanctuary (AH-17) was a Haven-class hospital ship that served in the U.S. Navy in World War II and the Vietnam War.
USNS Sanctuary (T-AH-17) in 1973
Navy nurse and patients aboard USS Sanctuary in the 1960s
Navy nurse aboard USS Sanctuary in the 1960s
USS Sanctuary laid up in Baltimore Harbor
Haven-class hospital ship
The Haven class of hospital ships were built for the United States Navy (USN) during World War II. Haven-class ships also served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. They were among the first ships to be able to receive casualties directly by helicopter and were the first fully air conditioned ships in the USN. The first ship was laid down in July 1943, while the last was launched in August 1944. In that span the United States produced six Haven-class hospital ships. The last Haven-class ship was struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1989. One ship sank in a collision in 1950; the five others were scrapped. Haven-class hospital ships were replaced with the Mercy-class hospital ships.
USS Haven, the lead ship of her class, seen here in 1954.
Benevolence moored in Bikini Atoll lagoon, during Operation Crossroads, in mid-July 1946.
A 52-bed ward aboard Repose
Consolation off Korea in 1952