SPANISH HOSPITAL SHIP

FV Ben Loyal WK3

Spanish hospital ship Juan de la Cosa

One of the nice things about being a seafarer is that the learning process is continuous. This morning on reading the "Sunday Irish Times" NAUTICAL LOG learned about a Spanish Hospital ship the MS Juan de la Cosa. She had taken aboard a seriously ill fisherman from a British owned vessel the FV Ben Loyal. Then being concerned about his condition they had contacted the Irish Coast Guard Marine Rescue Coordination Centre at Valentia Island. This resulted in a rendezvous with an Irish Coast Guard helicopter for his transfer to hospital ashore in Ireland. Apparently the hospital ship accompanies various fleets of Spanish fishing vessels in the North Atlantic. Due to being outside the IRCG helicopters range the ship had to proceed at best speed towards Valentia Island, County Kerry.

Interested in the hospital ship NAUTICAL LOG did some research and found that she is operated, together with the MS Esperanza de Mar, by the Insituto Social de la Marina (ISM) of Spain. We also found out that Juan de la Cosa whom the ship is named for was the owner of the SV Santa Maria the nao that Columbus sailed in on his first voyage westwards across the Atlantic to the islands of the Caribbean. Juan de la Cosa sailed with him on that voyage - wise owner keeping an eye on his ship no doubt.

Good Watch.