Posted on 02/23/2010 8:22:27 PM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Italian aircraft carrier plays host to Haitian babies
Jo Winterbottom
LONDON
Mon Feb 22, 2010 2:49pm ESTLONDON (Reuters) - Italy's new aircraft carrier has a baby on board -- and expects to host another 50 children for surgery next week, as it uses its state-of-the-art hospital facilities to help survivors of the Haiti earthquake.
The Cavour arrived off Port-au-Prince on January 31 and has set up hospitals onshore as well as offering its onboard scanners, laboratories and surgical facilities, Captain Gianluigi Reversi told Reuters in a telephone interview on Monday.
"We have a three-month-old girl on board with her mother, who has a problem with her leg," Reversi said. "You can hear the baby crying at night when she's hungry. It's very strange for a military ship," he added.
Starting next week, the Cavour will open its doors to children with facial deformities as part of Operation Smile (www.operationsmile.org). Doctors will use its surgery rooms to operate on 50 or more children over two weeks, Reversi said.
"It's a very important part of our mission," he added. The Cavour is working alongside the U.S. Comfort, an American hospital ship.
The Caribbean nation of Haiti was hit by a major earthquake in early January which razed much of the capital Port-au-Prince. The death toll could reach 300,000 people, Haitian President Rene Preval said.
The Cavour, Italy's newest aircraft carrier, has brought 200 Italian soldiers and its own crew of about 540 to Haiti.
It has used its hyperbaric chamber -- a pressurized chamber usually used by divers -- to treat people with wounds infected because of the dusty and dirty conditions onshore.
Breathing oxygen under
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
What compliment of aircraft does it carry?
Weren’t the Italians criticizing us for our response to Haiti? We were there in days, and it took them over two weeks? On the other hand their little boat is very pretty.
Harriers
30,000 tons of “punch you in the arm like a girl”?
I am truly puzzled by folks who denigrate the efforts of others in everything.
So the Italian carrier is “only” 30K tons, so what, at least it’s THERE, helping.
Thinking that everything HAS to be a pissing contest, and comparing small nations to the single strongest nation on earth (at least until the KENYAN was elected...) is juvenile at the least, and shows definite signs of insecurity exacerbated by hubris.
Thanks to you Italy! Your contribution to aiding these unfortunate people is appreciated by MOST of us.
Yeah, like “Star Trek Transporter” technology is available, and their carrier could get from “off-duty in port in the Med” to Haiti in 6 hours.
You’ve GOT to be smarter than THAT! Two weeks is respectable, and welcome!
There is a whole lot of criticism when someone tries to help -whether it is an individual or in this case, one country helping another. Says alot about the posters that do that.
Two weeks is respectable. So is keeping your criticisms to yourself until you are there. The Italians couldn’t do that. It’s just too easy to knock the US for trying to help.
Jump jets and helos.
Italy has 2 carriers equivalent to the UK, 14000 tons and 27000 tons.
For a nation the size of Arizona, Italy has a respectable navy.
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