| Ship | Type | Designation | Covers |
| Atlantic | |||
| USS Lake Champlain | PRS - Carrier | CVS-39 | Y |
| USS Avenge1 | SRS - Ocean Minesweeper | MSO-423 | Y (rare) |
| USS DuPointiii | SRS - Destroyer | DD-941 | Y |
| USS Exultant1 | SRS - Ocean Minesweeper | MSO-441 | Y (rare) |
| USS Manley | SRS - Destroyer | DD-940 | Y |
| USS Neosho | SRS - Oiler | AO-143 | Y |
| USS Newvii | SRS - Destroyer | DD-818 | Y |
| USS James C Owens | SRS - Destroyer | DD-776 | Y |
| USS Preserver2 | SRS - Salvage Ship | ARS-8 | Y (E. rare) |
| USS Waldronv | SRS - Destroyer | DD-699 | N |
| USS John W Weeks | SRS - Destroyer | DD-701 | Y |
| Various Other Boats | One LCU, two smaller boats plus six amphibious vehicles | Various | N |
| Pacific | |||
| USS Chipola | SRS - Oiler | AO-63 | Y |
| USS Goldsborough | SRS - Guided Missile Destroyer | DDG-20 | Y |
| USS George MacKenzie | SRS - Destroyer | DD-836 | Y |
| USS Leonard F Mason | SRS - Destroyer | DD-852 | Y |
| USS Taylor | SRS - Destroyer | DD-468 | Y |
| Tracking & Communications Ships | |||
| USNS Rose Knot | TS - Pacific, Off the West Coast of South America | T-AGM 14 | Y |
| USNS Coastal Sentry | TS - Pacific, NE of the Philippines | T-AGM 15 | Y |
| USNS Wheeling | TS - Pacific, NW of Hawaii | T-AGM 8 | Y |
| USNS Kingsport | Communications Relay Ship - Position Unknown | T-AG 164 | Y |
| Not Involved | |||
| USNS Twin Falls4b | Tracking Ship | T-AGM 11 | Y |
| USS Compass Island4c | Ballistic Missle Research Vessel | EAG-153 | Y |
| USS McCard4b | Destroyer | DD-822 | Y |
| Cachet | Description of Cachet | Colours | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Navy Recovery Force Cachet Atlantic |
Designed by Morris Beck it shows an anchor & crest |
Black | Rubber Stamp |
| Navy Recovery Force Cachet Pacific |
Designed by Morris Beck it shows an anchor & crest |
Maroon | Rubber Stamp |
| Beck Cachet - Atlantic | Same as Navy Cachet | Black-Orange | Printed |
| Beck Cachet - Pacific | Same as Navy Cachet | Blue-Orange | Printed |
| GT-5 Cachet | A small circular text cachet usually appears as an extra cachet. Produced by Morris Beck | Black, Red, Blue, Purple | Rubber Stamp |
| Orbit Cachet | Complex Printed Cachet showing Astronauts and Rocket etc - Navy Cachet usually on Back | Green | Printed |
| Boerger Cachet | Navy Recovery Ship cachet shows SE USA & Cape Kennedy. Another example. | Blue-Black | Printed |
| Harry Gordon Cachet5 | GEMINI 5 SPLASH DOWN 29 AUGUST 1965 | Red | Rubber Stamp |
| Harry Gordon Cachet2 | US NAVY SHIPS ON STATION FOR GEMINI ASTRONAUTS | Black | Rubber Stamp |
| Harry Gordon Cachet2 | GEMINI 5 FLIGHT SCRUBBED AT T-10 MINS. POSTPONED 48 HOURS | Red | Rubber Stamp |
| Goldcraft Cachet4d | J F Kennedy 'We Will Reach the Moon' | Pink | Rubber Stamp |
| Ekas Cachet? | Shows a Gemini Capsule and Mission Number | Black | Rubber Stamp |
| Sokolsky Cachet? | Shows two Astronauts in a Gemini Capsule | B/W | Printed |
| Ship | Description of Postmark | Scarcity |
|---|---|---|
| USS Lake Champlain | Machine Cancel | Common |
| USS Lake Champlainii | Hand cancel - Type I - 32-33mm | Less Common |
| USS Lake Champlainii | Hand Cancel -Type II - 35-36mm | Less Common |
| USS Lake Champlain | Both a Hand and a Machine Postmark | Possible Unique |
| USNS Coastal Sentry3 | Air Force Postal Service Sept 7 1965 - Note the year is inverted which seems to be the standard for this cover | Common |
| USNS Coastal Sentry | US Navy 17066 Sept 10 1965 | Common |
| USNS Kingsport | US Navy 17022 BR Sept 1 1965 | U/K |
| USNS Kingsport | Honolulu Sept 1? 1965 | U/K |
|
Ship |
Known Cachet Colours |
Beck Numbers |
| USS Lake Champlain | Black, Maroon | 561 |
| USS DuPoint | Black, Maroonvi | 563 |
| USS Manley | Black | 562 |
| USS Neosho | Black | 565, 567 |
| USS New | Black | 568, 569 |
| USS James C Owens | Black | 566 |
| USS John W Weeks | Black | 564 |
| USS Chipola | Maroon | 560 |
| USS Goldsborough | Maroon | 555 |
| USS George MacKenzie | Maroon | 558, 559 |
| USS Leonard F Mason | Maroon | 556, 559 |
| USS Taylor | Maroon | 557 |
| Ship | Description of Cachet | Colours | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| USS Lake Champlain | Postmarks for both start of mission and splashdown | Black | Rubber Stamp |
| USS Lake Champlain | Great cover with a Navy cachet on a Dept. of the Navy Official Business envelope. Therefore it did not need a stamp. | Black | Rubber Stamp |
| USS Lake Champlain | Interesting crew mail from the 20th - machine cancel | None | None |
| USS Lake Champlain | Gewrman postcard | Black | Rubber Stamp |
| USS Lake Champlain4a | Two postmarks -CC for start of mission and USS Lake Champlain for recovery | Black | Rubber Stamp |
| USS Lake Champlain4b | Extremely Rare dual postmark - Both machine & hand cancels | Black | Rubber Stamp |
| Pacific | Interesting cover with Pacific Navy cachet but no postmark | Maroon | Rubber Stamp |
| Postmark | Description of Cover | Postmark Date |
|---|---|---|
| USS Lake Champlain | Cover signed by pilot of the recovery helicopter - Cdr. Fred Highsmith - Hand Cancel | 29 Aug 1965 |
| USS Lake Champlain | Another Cover signed by pilot of the recovery helicopter - Cdr. Fred Highsmith - Machine Cancel | 29 Aug 1965 |
| USS Lake Champlain1 | Signed by Ensign Frank Cleary, a member of UDT | 29 Aug 1965 |
| USS Lake Champlain | Signed by ship's CO, Captain James Longino, Jr. | 29 Aug 1965 |
| USS Lake Champlain4c | Signed by a member of the UDT | 29 Aug 1965 |
| USS Lake Champlain | Interesting Ship's Commendation from the Commanding Officer to the crew of the USS Lake Champlain for a job well done during Gemini 5 | None |
| USS Lake Champlain | Lovely cover signed by 3 members of the UDT team | 29 Aug 1965 |
| USS Lake Champlain | Cover signed by Commander of the Atlantic Recovery Group | 29 Aug 1965 |
| USS New | Cover signed by Commander of the Atlantic Recovery Group and the main recovery helicopter pilot | 29 Aug 1965 |
Notes General:
i ) This seems to be the first mission where the colour of the cachet was successfully co-ordinated with the Recovery Force. Atlantic - Black ; Pacific - Maroon
ii ) The Handcancel has not been seen on a Beck printed cover
iii) The USS Dupont recovered the Titan booster - the first one ever recovered.
iv) There is much confusion regarding the recovery of the Astronauts and their capsule. It appears that an Air Rescue aircraft (HC-97) from an uprange position arrived first but it was decided not to deploy its pararescue team but to wait for a helicopter from the USS Lake Champlain. That helicopter deployed a swimmer team which secured the capsule and eventually helped the Astronauts aboard and transported them to the USS Lake Champlain. Two and a half hours later the USS Lake Champlain arrived and brought the capsule aboard using it’s onboard crane [NASA Mission Report]. However the part played by the USS Dupont (the closest ship to the capsule) is unclear. Many reports state that it was the first ship to arrive at the capsule and waited until the Astronauts and capsule were rescued. However there is much doubt about these reports.
v) The USS Waldron was assigned as a slealth vessel for the mission. Its orders directed the Waldron not to allow any Soviet vessel to recover any part of any component of the launch rockets, meaning to put the Waldron between any Soviet vessel and the object. See email for full details of this ship's extemely interesting mission. Information thanks to Ted T. Business.
vi) Only one is known
vii) The case of the USS New is interesting. The postmark varies significantly. There are examples where the dot after the A in A.M. is quite small. In others it is completely missing. Is it possible that the postmarker started out with a worn . and this quickly deteriorated until it could no longer hold ink? Or is it just a different time slug? Thanks to Eugenio Vespiano for pointing this out.
Notes Other:
1) From the collection of Tom Steiner
2) From the collection of Eddie Bizub
3) From the collection of Antoni Rigo
4) Sold on eBay in a) 2010 b) 2011 c) 2013 d) 2022
5) From the collection of Timothy Preston
This page © Dr Ross J Smith
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Last modified on 16 November 2024
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