| Ship | Type | Designation | Covers |
| Atlantic | |||
| USS Essexi | PRS - Carrier | CVS-9 | Y |
| USS Arnebvi | SRS - Amphibious Cargo Ship | AKA-56 | Y |
| USS Cambria | SRS - Amphibious Transport | LPA-36 | Y |
| USS Paiuteii | SRS - Fleet Ocean Tug | ATF-159 | Y (V. Rare) |
| USNS Vanguardiv Also with a blue cachet | SRS - Tracking Ship (Dual Role) | T-AGM-19 | Y |
| Pacific | |||
| USS Cochrane | SRS - Guided Missile Destroyer | DDG-21 | Y |
| USS Nicholas | SRS - Anti-Sub Destroyer | DD-449 | Y |
| USS Ponchatoula | SRS - Oiler | AO-148 | N |
| USS Rupertus | SRS - Destroyer | DD-851 | Y (V. Rare) |
| USS Henry Tucker | SRS - Destroyer | DD-875 | Y (V. Rare) |
| Tracking & Communication Ships | |||
| USNS Redstone | TS - Pacific | T-AGM 20 | Y |
| USNS Huntsville | TS - Pacific | T-AGM 7 | Y |
| USNS Vanguardiv | TS - Atlantic | T-AGM 19 | Y |
| USNS Mercury | TS - between the Philippines and Japan | T-AGM 21 | Y |
| Recovery Control Center | |||
| Norfolk Naval Air Station VA | Atlantic Recovery Control Center | N/A | Y |
| Not Involvediii, iiia | |||
| USS Cubera/USS Orion | Submarine / Submarine Tender - involved in ASW training | SS-347/AS-18 | Y |
| USS Hassayampa | Oiler - Replaced by the USS Ponchatoula (various dates known - see this example) | AO-145 | Y |
| USS Ozark6 | Mine Countermeasures Support Ship - Scratched from mission | MCS-2 | Y |
| USS Pawcatuck6 | Oiler - involved in ASW training | AO-108 | Y |
| USS Putnam6 | Destroyer | DD-757 | Y |
| USS Rushmore | Dock landing Ship - Scratched | LSD-14 | Y |
| Ship | Description of Postmark | Scarcity |
|---|---|---|
| USS Rupertus | Oct 18 1968 Postmark - No Time Slug | Very Scarce |
| USS Rupertus | Oct 22 1968 Postmark - Time Slug - And a second7 | Very Scarce |
| Norfolk Naval Air Station | Large Postmark | Common |
| Norfolk | Smaller Postmark | Common |
| USNS Mercury | Small US Navy 17022 | U/K |
| USNS Mercury | Large US Navy 17022 | U/K |
| USS Paiute | Jacksonville Postmark - And another | Common |
| USS Paiute5e | Cape Canaveral | U/K |
| USS Arneb | Normal USS Arneb postmark plus red USS Arneb New York postmark. And another | Very Scarce |
| USS Arneb4 | Postmarked for launch rather than splashdown and with an inverted 11 | Possibly unique |
| Cachet | Description of Cachet | Colours | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Navy Recovery Force Cachet - Atlantic |
Designed by Morris Beck it shows an Apollo Capsule |
See Below | Rubber Stamp |
| Navy Recovery Force Cachet - Pacific |
Designed by Morris Beck it shows an Apollo Capsule |
See Below | Rubber Stamp |
| Beck Cachet - Atlantic | Similar to Navy Cachet | Atlantic:Blue-Red Pacific :Green-Black |
Printed |
| Beck Cachet - Pacific | Similar to Navy Cachet | Atlantic:Blue-Red Pacific :Green-Black |
Printed |
| Beck USS Essex Variety2 | Beck Printed Cachet - extremely rare | Green-Black | Printed |
| Norfolk VA4 | Orbit Cachet | Green | Printed |
| TF-140 | Manned Spacecraft Recovery Force TF-140 Emblem | Black, Blue | Rubber Stamp |
| Gordon Text Cachet | Text cachet Apollo 7 Splashes Down etc. | Purple, Maroon | Rubber Stamp |
| Carlos Altgelt Cachet | A Sokolsky design | Blue | Rubber Stamp? |
| Unknown Cachet 1 | Recovery Operation | Black | Printed |
| Unknown Cachet 2 | Splashdown & Recovery Operations | Black | Printed |
|
Ship |
Known Cachet Colours |
Beck Numbers |
| USS Essex | Black, Blue, Maroon | 758, 760, 761, 762 |
| USS Arneb | Black, Blue, Maroon | small numbers of 759 to 762 |
| USS Cambria | Black, Maroon, Blue (only 3 known) | 759 |
| USS Cochrane | Maroon | 756, 757 |
| USS Nicholas | Maroon | Only one cover is knownv |
| USNS Vanguard/Jacksonville | Black, Blue | small numbers of 759 to 762 |
| Cachet | Description of Cachet | Colours | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| USS Essex | Chief of Staff, ComCarDiv Twenty Corner Card - Navy Cachet | Maroon | Rubber Stamp |
| USS Essex | TF-140 cachet - First one seen | Black | Rubber Stamp |
| USS Essex | Very rare QSL verification card with Navy cachet | Maroon | Rubber Stamp |
| USS Essex1 | Both a Navy and a Ship's cachet - Very unusual | Maroon | Rubber Stamp |
| USS Essex5a | Ship's Cachet - postmarked day before recovery - Very unusual | Maroon | Rubber Stamp |
| USS Essex8 | Great 'associated press' cover on ship's envelope with Navy cachet. | Aqua / Maroon | Printed / Rubber Stamp |
| Various | A series of different FDCs were used for several ships including the USNS Vanguard, USS Cambria,USS Arneb and USS Essex8. | Various | Printed / Rubber Stamp |
| USS Arneb | Both a second red USS Arneb NY postmark and a Commanding Officer corner card on the back | Maroon | Rubber Stamp |
| Chicago | US Navy Atlantic cachet | Black or Maroon | Rubber Stamp |
| USS Cochrane | US Navy cachet plus unusual cachet | Maroon - B&W | Rubber Stamp / Printed |
| USS Cochrane | Ship's Cachet - Often on Back of Cover | Black | Rubber Stamp |
| USS Nicholas | Navy Cachet on Envelope with Embossed Navy Seal | Maroon | Embossed/ Rubber Stamp |
| USNS Vanguard | Great cover with a blue Navy cachet on the front and a black Navy cachet on the back. | Blue / Black | Rubber Stamp |
| USNS Vanguard | Unusual Rocket & NASA emblem cachet | Red with Black Text | Rubber Stamp / Printed |
| USNS Vanguard | USNS Vanguard cachet with an extra 7 added | Red | Rubber Stamp |
| Cachet | Description of Cachet | Colours | Type |
| Various | TF-140 cachet with a Norfolk postmark and the following text cachet 'APOLLO 7 USS xxxxx. These are not Recovery Ship covers. They are TF-140 Recovery Force covers. The following ship names have been seen: USS Essex, USS Arneb and USS Cambria | Black | Rubber Stamp |
| USS Essex5d | Prisioner created cachet and machine postmark | Black | Rubber Stamp |
| Postmark | Description of Cover | Postmark Date |
|---|---|---|
| USS Essex | Recovery Cover signed by NASA Recovery Leader Dr Donald Stullhen | 22 October 1968 |
| USS Essex | Recovery Cover signed by Recovery 3 Pilot & Co-Pilot - first helicopter to spot the Apollo 7 capsule | 22 October 1968 |
| USS Essex5b | Interesting cover with a Commanding Officer, Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron Five corner card and signed by two members of the Recovery 3 helicopter. | 22 October 1968 |
| USS Essex5 | Recovery Cover signed by various members of the recovery team | 22 October 1968 |
Notes General:
i ) At least two sources mention that a USS Essex cover with a machine cancel exists. However, none have been sited and none illustrated in catalogs. If it exists, it is extremely rare.
ii ) Noted by most sources, this ship is not mentioned in the NASA Mission Report
iii ) Covers have been reported from the following ships ('Project Apollo' by Donald Schultz); USS Ellison, USS Stormes, USS Greene, USS Pawcatuck, USS Cubera, USS Cutlass (all involved in ASW training before/during the mission) and the USS Ozark which was scratched.
iiia ) Donald Schultz reported that the USS Ellison, USS Putnam, USS Stormes, USS Greene, USS Cubera, v and USS Pawcatuck were there for recovery efforts as well as being on a training mission. However, there is no other evidence to support this. In addition he contradicts himself later in his handbook. Covers should be considered commemorative only.
iv ) the USNS Vanguard had a dual role, firstly as a tracking ship and then it was moved to a different
position and acted as a Secondary Recovery Ship. Hence, two quite different cachets exist
v ) The only Beck printed cover known with a USS Nicholas postmark is a B757 cover which was intended for the USS Cochrane
vi ) Unlike this example, most Arneb postmarks for this mission are poor.
Notes Other:
1) From the collection of Lee Kok How
2) From collection of Eddie Bizub - It has a Navy cachet on the back - Only two such covers have been reported
3) From the collection of Steve Durst
4) From the collection of Tom Steiner
5) Sold on eBay during 2010 a) 2012 b) 2013 c) 2014 d) 2016 e) 2018 f) 2022
6) Sold in Space Unit Auction #100
7) From the collection of Gerard Zonneveld
8) From the collection of Joseph Volutza
This page © Dr Ross J Smith
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Last modified on 3 March 2024
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