GEMINI RECOVERY SHIP COVER & POSTMARK VARIETIES

Gemini 6 (Aborted) - 25 October 1965

Recovery Force Ships
Ship Type Designation Covers
Atlantic
USS Wasp PRS - Carrier CVS-18 Y (Rare)ii
USS Aucilla SRS - Oiler AO-56 Y
USS Basilone SRS -  Destroyer DD-824 Y
USS Fearless SRS - Ocean Minesweeper MSO-442 N
USS Fidelity SRS - Ocean Minesweeper MSO-443 Y (Rare)
USS Jonus Ingram SRS - Destroyer DD-938 Xiii
USS Massey SRS - Destroyer DD-778 Y
USS Noa SRS - Destroyer DD-841 Y
USS Paiute SRS - Fleet Ocean Tug AFT-159 N
USS Stickell SRS - Destroyer DD-888 Y
Pacific
USS Cochrane SRS - Guided Missile Destroyer DDG-21 N
USS Kawishiwiv SRS - Oiler AO-146 N
USS George K MacKenzie SRS - Destroyer DD-836 N
USS Renshaw SRS - Destroyer DD-499
USS Rupertus SRS - Destroyer DD-851 N
Contigency Recovery Ship (on station in port) - Altantic
USS Richard E Kraus CRS - Destroyer  DD-849 Y
Tracking & Communications Ships
USNS Rose Knot TS - Altantic T-AGM 14 Y (Scarce)
USNS Coastal Sentry TS - Pacific T-AGM 15 Y (Scarce)
USNS Range Tracker TS - Position Unknown T-AGM 1 Y (Scarce)
USNS Kingsport1 Communications Relay Ship - Position Unknown T-AG 164 Y (Scarce)
Not Involved
USS Borie  Destroyer  DD-704 Y
USS Yorktown Carrier CVS-10 Y

Postmark Variations
Ship Description of Postmark Scarcity
 USS Wasp Hand Cancel PM Rare
 USS Wasp1 Machine Cancel AM Only 1 known
USS Massey AM Postmark Common
USS Massey PM Postmark U/K

Cachets
Cachet Description of Cachet Colours Type
Navy Recovery Force Cachet
Atlantic

Designed by Morris Beck it shows a capsule & agena

 Black Rubber Stamp
Beck Cachet - Atlantic Same as Navy Cachet Pink-Silver-Black Printed
GTA-6 Cachet A small circular text cachet usually appears as an extra cachet. Produced by Morris Beck or Harry Gordon Black, Red Rubber Stamp
CANCELLED Cachet 1  A cancel that has been applied on top of the Beck/Navy cachet Black, Red Rubber Stamp
CANCELLED Cachet 2 A cancel that has been applied on top of the Navy cachet Purple, Black Rubber Stamp
CANCELLED Cachet 3 A cancel that has been applied on top of the Beck cachet Maroon Rubber Stamp
CANCELLED Cachet 4 A cancel that has been applied on top of the Navy cachet Red Rubber Stamp
CANCELLED Cachet 56 A much larger cancel Maroon Rubber Stamp
George Goldey Cachet John F Kennedy bust Apple Green Rubber Stamp


Navy Recovery Force Cachet Colours & Beck Cachet Numbersi

Ship

Known Cachet Colours

Beck Numbers

USS Aucilla Black 588
USS Basilone Black 587
USS Borie (DNP) Black 586
USS Richard E Kraus Black, Marooniv 591
USS Massey Black 592
USS Noa Black 589
USS Stickell Black 590

USS Wasp Coversii
Ship Postmark Comments
USS Wasp Hand Cancel Maroon Navy Cachet plus Black Ship's Cachet
USS Wasp2 Hand Cancel Maroon Navy Cachet plus Black Ship's Cachet on Ship's Stationary
USS Wasp1 Hand Cancel Captain's Cover
USS Wasp3 Hand Cancel Maroon Navy Cachet plus Black Ship's Cachet
USS Wasp4 Hand Cancel Maroon Navy Cachet plus Maroon Ship's Cachet
USS Wasp1 Machine Cancel Maroon Navy Cachet plus Black Ship's Cachet
USS Wasp6a Hand Cancel Maroon Navy Cachet plus Black Ship's Cachet on Ship's Stationary. There is no stamp.
 
Interesting Cachets & Covers
Cachet Description of Cachet Colours Type
USS Borie Plain envelope with USS Borie corner card None None
USS Borie2 Plain envelope with a different USS Borie corner card None None
USS Borie6 Gemini Two Man Spacecraft cachet Black Rubber Stamp
USS Richard E. Kraus Navy cachet with late postmark 8 Nov 1965 Black Rubber Stamp
USS Richard E. Krausiv,5 Navy Cachet with an even later pmk 26 Nov 1965 Maroon Rubber Stamp
USS Noa Interesting Gemini The Twins cachet Black / Black Rubber Stamp


 

Note - General:
i ) Some covers are overprinted with a CANCELLED stamp
ii ) 8-12 covers have now been seen. Still an extremely rare cover
iii ) Extremely rare. A second one is here. No postmarked versions are known. A version on ship's stationary also exists.
iv ) Only one cover with a maroon cachet is known
v ) See article dated Oct 23 1965 from the Honolulu Advertiser

Note - Other:
1) From the collection of Steve Durst
2) From the collection of Tom Steiner
3) From the collection of David Ball
4) From the collection of Antoni Rigo
5) From the collection of Gerard Zonneveld
6) Sold on eBay 2021 a) 2024

This page © Dr Ross J Smith
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Last modified on 15 December 2024

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