| Shipii | Type | Designation | Covers |
| Atlantic | |||
| USCGC Courageous | SRS - Coast Guard Cutter | WMEC-622 | Y |
| USS Preserver | SRS - Rescue & Salvage Ship | ARS-8 | Y |
| Landing Craft | SRS - Landing Craft | LCU | N |
| Pacific | |||
| USS New Orleansi | PRS - Carrier | LPH-11 | Y |
| Tracking Ships | |||
| USNS Vanguard | TS - Tracking Ship - stationed at 25 S 155 W in the Pacific | T-AGM-19 | Y |
| USNS Redstoneiv | TS - Tracking Ship | T-AGM-20 | Y |
| Recovery Control Center | |||
| Norfolk VA | Atlantic Recovery Control Center | N/A | Y |
| Kunia Hi | Pacific Recovery Control Center | N/A | Y |
| Soviet Tracking Shipsiii | |||
| Kosmonavt Yuri Gagarin | TS - Tracking Ship off coast of Nova Scotia Canada | N/A | Y |
| Akademik Sergei Korolev | TS - Tracking Ship off Honduras | N/A | Y |
| Bezhitsavi | TS - Tracking Ship off West coast of Africa | N/A | N |
| Probably Not Involved | |||
| Yamagumo (Japanese)4 | Anti-submarine Hunter-killer Destroyer | DD113 | Y |
| JMSDF Katori (Japanese)4 | Training Ship | N/A | Y |
| Not Involved | |||
| USNS Range Sentinel | Tracking Ship | T-AGM-22 | Y |
| Ship | Description of Postmark | Scarcity |
|---|---|---|
| USS New Orleans - San Franciscoi |
Machine Cancel - 24th Used in Hawaii |
Common |
| San Francisco6 | Unusual cover with three different San Francisco postmarks including the special ASTP postmark | Rare |
| USS New Orleansi | Hand Cancel - Wavy Killer Bars - 25th Used aboard PRS |
Scarce |
| USNS Vanguard3 | USPS 327 Jun 1975 Postmark | U/K |
| USNS Vanguard3 | Bauboa Canal Zone 15 Jul 1975 Postmark | U/K |
| USNS Vanguard3 | San Francisco Jul 24 1975 Postmark | U/K |
| USNS Vanguard3 | Norfolk Jul 24 1975 Postmark | U/K |
| USNS Redstone | Cape Canaveral Jul 15 1975 Postmark | U/K |
| USNS Redstone | Cape Canaveral Jul 24 1975 Postmark | U/K |
| Cachet | Description of Cachet | Colours | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Navy Recovery Force Cachet - Atlantic |
Designed by Morris Beck it shows Apollo almost docked with Soyuz |
Red | Rubber Stamp |
| Navy Recovery Force Cachet - Pacific |
Designed by Morris Beck it shows Apollo almost docked with Soyuz |
Blue | Rubber Stamp |
| Beck Cachet -Atlantic 1 | Similar to but larger than Navy Cachet | Red-Yellow-Black | Printed |
| Beck Cachet -Atlantic 2 | Same as above but missing red ASTP & with a slightly darker Yellow colour | Red-Yellow-Black | Printed |
| Beck Cachet - Pacific | Similar to but larger than Navy Cachet | Green-Red-Black | Printed |
| TF-130 Cachet | TF-130 Manned Spacecraft Recovery Force Pacific shows various recovery aircraft & ships | Blue, Maroon, Black | Rubber Stamp |
| TF-140 Cachet | TF-140 Manned Spacecraft Recovery Force Atlantic shows capsule in the Ocean | Maroon, Blue | Rubber Stamp |
| Artmaster Cachet | Honoring the Apollo-Soyuz Space Mission | Blue | Printed |
|
Ship |
Known Cachet Colours |
Beck Numbers |
| USS New Orleans - San Francisco |
Blue | B998 |
| Norfolk | Maroon | B999 |
| Cachet | Description of Cachet | Colours | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Canaveral | Interesting cover includes a Spaceport Philatelic Society ASTP and a landing cachet | Red, Brown and Blue | Rubber Stamp Printed |
| Cape Canaveral | Space Voyager cover | Orange, Purple & Red | Printed |
| Honolulu | Covers shows picture of the ship plus the ship's cachet | Greyscale, Red | Rubber Stamp Printed |
| Houston | Space Voyager cover | Purple, Pink & Blue | Printed |
| Houston | Navy cachet with Houston Link-up postmark | Blue | Rubber Stamp |
| Kennedy Space Center | Navy cachet with KSC Link-up postmark | Red | Rubber Stamp |
| Kunia HI | An interesting series of Boudwin covers with greyscale mission emblems. Various dates exist including 17, 21 & 23 Jul | Greyscale | Printed |
| Kunia HI | Cachet shows Apollo & Soyuz capsules docked | Blue | Rubber Stamp |
| Kunia HI | Unusual cachet showing ASTP in orbit and Capsule in Ocean with recovery helicopters | Blue & Red | Printed |
| Kunia HI | Special Kunia ASTP Recovery Control Site cachet | Black | Rubber Stamp |
| Kunia Hi & Honolulu Hi | TF-130 cachet | Purple | Rubber Stamp |
| Norfolk VA | Beck B999 cover addressed to the famous Les Winick | Multicolour | Printed |
| Norfolk VA | Mission Emblem with 5 astronaut names plus Helicopter and capsule with parachutes opened above water | Blue + Blue | Rubber Stamp |
| Norfolk VA | Interesting self-coloured picture of the docking plus heads of the crew | Multicolour | Self-Adhesive |
| Norfolk VA | Nice multicolour picture of the splashdown | Multicolour | Printed |
| Norfolk VA | Multicolour picture of the spacecraft | Multicolour | Printed |
| Norfolk VA | Space Voyager cover | Brown, Pink & Blue | Printed |
| Norfolk VA | Mission Emblem cover | Multicolour | Printed |
| San Francisco | Ship's cachet cover | Multicolour | Printed |
| San Francisco | Ship's cachet on a Astro cover | Maroon / Aqua | Rubber Stamp / Printed |
| San Francisco | Space Voyager cover - ASTP Stamp 1 | Green, Blue & Pink | Printed |
| San Francisco | Space Voyager cover - ASTP Stamp 2 | Green, Blue & Pink | Printed |
| San Francisco | Mission Emblem plus Helicopter and capsule with parachutes opened above water | Green + Blue | Rubber Stamp |
| San Francisco | Amusing cachet shows Snoopy and a Soviet equivatent rendezvousing in Space | Multicolour | Printed |
| San Francisco | Interesting self-coloured picture of the crew | Multicolour | Self-Adhesive |
| San Francisco | Cover with embossed multicolour mission emblem | Multicolour | Printed |
| San Francisco | Honoring the Apollo-Soyuz Space Mission | Blue | Printed |
| San Francisco | Postcard | Multicolour | Printed |
| San Francisco | Shows the ASTP station above a recovery scene. Uses the general postmark. | Blue & Red | Printed? |
| San Francisco | Shows small capsule under parachutes | Black | Rubber Stamp? |
| San Francisco8b | Cover with a hand drawn USS New Orleans and a second postmark Jul 17 at JSC | Multicolour | Hand Painted |
| USS Preserver | A different photo of the Preserver | Greyscale | Printed |
| USS New Orleans | Sean Masar cover postmarked 16 July actually aboard the PRS. Similar covers are known from 13 to 25 July except for 24 when the onboard PO was closed | Blue | Rubber Stamp |
| USS New Orleans | Sean Masar cover postmarked 21 July which was the date the two spacecraft undocked- actually aboard the PRS during undocking and recovery | Blue | Rubber Stamp |
| USS New Orleans | Bob Boudwin cover with a docking cachet | Blue | Printed |
| USS New Orleans | A multicolour mission emblem cachet with printed crew signatures. Contains an insert with mission information | Multicolour | Printed |
| USS New Orleans | Cover with the ship's cachet and with a mystery Sept 2 1975 USS New Orleans postmark | Maroon | Rubber Stamp |
| USS New Orleans1 | Unusual 'depart for Recovery Area' cover - postmarked 13 July 1975 plus ship's cachet | Maroon | Rubber Stamp |
| USS New Orleans6 | A Beck B998 cover with a mystery Sept 2 1975 USS New Orleans postmark | Red-Green-Blue | Printed |
| USS New Orleans6 | A KSC ASTP cacheted cover with a mystery Sept 2 1975 USS New Orleans postmark | Light Blue | Rubber Stamp |
| USS New Orleans6 | USS New Orleans postcard with a USS New Orleans postmark from July 25. | Multicolour | Printed |
| USS New Orleans7 | Another USS New Orleans postcard with a USS New Orleans postmark from July 25. | Multicolour | Printed |
| USS New Orleans4 | Great postcard mailed from the USS New Orleans on 23 July 1975. See above for front. | Multicolour | Printed |
| USS New Orleans3 | Ship's cachet with a postmark from July 28? | Maroon | Rubber Stamp |
| USS New Orleans8a | Interesting map cover | Multicolour | Printed |
| USNS Redstone | An interesting cover with a Captain L Couch corner card and a US Postal Service 327 postmark | Black | Rubber Stamp |
| USNS Vanguard | Front and Back of an interesting signed cover | Black | Rubber Stamp |
| USNS Vanguard | Cachet shows the Vanguard, Earth and Mission Emblem. Both Black and Dark Blue versions exist. | Black or Dark Blue | Rubber Stamp |
| USNS Vanguard3 | Three covers with different USNS Vanguard cachets | Black | Rubber Stamp |
| Postmark | Description of Cover | Postmark Date |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco (USS New Orleans) |
Helicopter Recovery Cover signed by Pilot and Crew of Helantisubron Six - flown aboard Main Recovery Helicopter | 24 Jul 1975 |
| San Francisco (USS New Orleans) |
Helicopter Recovery Cover signed by Pilot and Crew of Helantisubron Six - flown aboard Swim 1 Helicopter | 24 Jul 1975 |
| San Francisco (USS New Orleans) |
Helicopter Recovery Cover signed by Pilot and Crew of Helantisubron Six - flown aboard ELS Helicopter | 24 Jul 1975 |
| San Francisco (USS New Orleans) |
Helicopter Recovery Cover signed by Pilot and Crew of Helantisubron Six - flown aboard Relay Helicopter | 24 Jul 1975 |
| San Francisco (USS New Orleans) |
Helicopter Recovery Cover signed by Pilot and Crew of Helantisubron Six - flown aboard Photo Helicopter | 24 Jul 1975 |
| San Francisco (USS New Orleans) |
Helicopter Recovery Cover signed by Pilot and Crew of Helantisubron Six - was aboard the Standby Helicopter 1 | 24 Jul 1975 |
| San Francisco (USS New Orleans)9 |
Helicopter Recovery Cover signed by Pilot and Crew of Helantisubron Six - was aboard the Standby Helicopter 2 | 24 Jul 1975 |
| San Francisco (USS New Orleans) |
Set of 3 Helicopter Recovery Covers signed by Pilot and Crew of Helantisubron Six - flown aboard Photo, Relay & ELS Helicopters | 24 Jul 1975 |
| San Francisco (USS New Orleans) |
Helicopter Recovery Cover signed by three members of the rescue team - USS New Orleans ship's cachet on back | 24 Jul 1975 |
| US Postal Service | Helicopter Recovery Cover signed by Pilot and Crew of Revovery Helicopter. Cover marked as flown on 24 July 1975. | Late pmk |
| US Postal Service | Another Helicopter Recovery Cover signed by Pilot and Crew of the Photo helicopter. Cover marked as flown on 24 July 1975. Attached note states it was flown aboard the helicopter. | Late pmk |
| San Francisco (USS New Orleans) |
Cover carried aboard the Apollo Soyuz (ASTP) Prime Recovery Ship, USS New Orleans and cancelled on its return to San Francisco on July 24, 1975. The cover is signed by Stuart A Bergman, Dr G Wycliffe Hoffler, Arnauld E Nicogossian, Joesph Baker and John Donaldson. These individuals were aboard the ship to conduct the Inflight Lower Limb Volume Measurement (ASTP007) experiment on the astronauts. | 24 Jul 1975 |
| San Francisco (USS New Orleans) |
Set of 4 Helicopter Recovery Covers signed by Pilot and Crew of Helantisubron Six - flown aboard 4 different helicopters | 24 Jul 1975 |
| San Francisco (USS New Orleans) |
Helicopter Recovery Cover signed by Pilot of Recovery Helicopter - cover has blue Navy cachet | 24 Jul 1975 |
| San Francisco (USS New Orleans) |
Another Helicopter Recovery Cover signed by Pilot and Crew of Helantisubron Six - flown aboard ELS Helicopter | 24 Jul 1975 |
| San Francisco (USS New Orleans) |
Signatures of the crews of both the Recovery and Swim helicopters | 24 Jul 1975 |
| San Francisco (USS New Orleans)5 |
Cennential cover signed by Deke Slayton, also signed by the Captain of the USS New Orleans and various members of the recovery team | 24 Jul 1975 |
| San Francisco (USS New Orleans)8 |
A great cover signed by 11 members of the UDT team | 24 Jul 1975 |
General Notes:
i) Almost all Beck covers and most Navy and other cacheted covers were cancelled in San Francisco on the day of recovery. A small number of covers were postmarked on board the PRS on the day after recovery.
ii) The USS Preserver was on call at Port Canaveral on 15th for a launch abort recovery. The USS New Orleans was stationed in the Primary Landing Area on the 24th for recovery operations.
iii) The Akademik Sergi Korolev was stationed off the coast of Honduras (at approximately 16° N, 87.5° W), while the Kosmonavt Yuri Gagarin was stationed off Sable Island , Nova Scotia (about 44.5° N, 59.5° W) - source and NASA Press Kit. Note that the covers are souvenir covers only and were not aboard the ships.
iv) Was on standby in port for this mission
v) See my article on PRS covers from this mission which was published in Astrophile #307. It includes a wide range of covers not shown on this page
vi) Article in Ad Astra by Jim Reichman to be published during 2015
vii) Article written by Dr. Reuben Ramkissoon in the October-November 1972 issue of the Explorer magazine.
Other Notes:
1) From the collection of Robert Mcleod
2) From the collection of Steve Durst
3) From the collection of Tom Steiner
4) From the collection of Alec Bartos
5) Sold in RR Auction September 2011 for $134 + 20% Buyers premium
6) From the collection of Gerard Zonneveld
7) From the collection of Timothy Preston
8) Sold on eBay during 2013 a) 2014 b) 2020
9) From the collection of John Macco
This page © Dr Ross J Smith
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Last modified on 5 December 2024
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