SS Uganda was initially a British steamship, built in 1952 as a passenger liner but converted to a hospital ship for the Falklands War
She was called up for military duty while on cruise and landed over 1200 passengers including 940 school children in Naples.
Uganda had a three-day refit in Gibraltar where a helicopter platform was installed along with RAS equipment and satellite communications. Also fitted were wards and operating theatres.
She was painted white and eight red crosses were painted, two on each side of the hull, one facing forward on the bridge superstructure, one on the upper deck visible from the air, and one on either side of her funnel. A team of 136 medical staff including 12 doctors, operating theatre staff and 40 members of the QARNN joined her from Portsmouth.
HMS’s Hecla, Hydra and Herald were converted to ambulance ships to work with Uganda. She received her first casualties from HMS Sheffield on 12 May. Uganda took on casualties, both British and Argentine, transferring those who were well enough to the converted survey ships for passage to Montevideo. On 28 May the land battles started and Uganda anchored in Grantham Sound, 11 miles northwest of Goose Green, where casualties from both sides arrived by helicopter. By 31 May she had 132 casualties aboard.
Uganda conducted 504 surgical operations, treated 730 casualties including 150 Argentineans, and made four rendezvous with Argentine ships.
By 10 July her role as a hospital ship was over and the crew held a party for 92 Falkland children more in keeping with her peacetime role. On 13 July Uganda was deregistered as a hospital ship and the red crosses were painted out Two days later she went back to Grantham Sound, to embark the men of the 7th Duke of Edinburgh Own Gurkha Rifles and their equipment, before sailing for the UK on 18 July.
She arrived at Southampton on 9 August 1982, 113 days after she had sailed to join the Task Force. In this time she had sailed 26,150 miles, consumed 4,700 tons of fuel, received more than 1,000 helicopter landings on her flight deck and over 3000 personnel had been transferred to or from her.
She returned to educational cruising on 25 September 1982, but in November she was again requisitioned for two years to serve as a store ship between Ascension Island and the Falklands.
She was laid up in 1985 and scrapped in 1992.