| Ship | Type | Designation | Covers |
| Atlantic | |||
| USS Boxerii | PRS (intended) - Carrier | LPH-4 | Y |
| USS Caloosahatcheei | SRS - Oiler | AO-98 | Y |
| USS Charles P. Cecili | SRS - Radar Picket Destroyer | DD-835 | Y |
| USS Fidelity | SRS - Ocean Minesweeper | MSO-443 | N |
| USS Goodrich | SRS - Radar Picket Destroyer | DD-831 | Y |
| USS Myles C. Foxi | SRS - Destroyer | DD-829 | Y |
| USS Noa | SRS - Destroyer | DD-841 | Y |
| USS Paiute | SRS - Fleet Ocean Tug | ATF-159 | N |
| Pacific | |||
| USS Leonard F. Mason | PRS (actual) - Destroyer | DD-852 | Y |
| USS Cochrane | SRS - Guided Missile Destroyer | DDG-21 | Y |
| USS George K. MacKenzie | SRS - Destroyer | DD-836 | Y |
| USS Hassayampa | SRS - Oiler (recovery logistic ship) | AO-145 | Y |
| Tracking & Communications Ships | |||
| USNS Rose Knot | TS - Atlantic | T-AGM 14 | Y |
| USNS Coastal Sentry | TS - Pacific | T-AGM 15 | Y |
| USNS Range Tracker | TS - Position Unknown | T-AGM 1 | Y |
| USNS Kingsportiv | Communications Relay Ship - Pacific | T-AG 164 | Y |
| Not Involved | |||
| USNS Twin Falls | Tracking Ship | T-AGM 11 | Y |
| USNS Wheeling | Tracking Ship | T-AGM 8 | Y |
| USNS Coastal Crusader | Tracking Ship | T-AGM 16 | Y |
| Cachet | Description of Cachet | Colours | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Navy Recovery Force Cachet GT-8 - Atlantic |
Designed by Morris Beck it shows NASA Symbol & Stars |
Maroon, Black, Green | Rubber Stamp |
| Navy Recovery Force Cachet GT-8 - Pacific |
Designed by Morris Beck it shows NASA Symbol & Stars |
Maroon, Black | Rubber Stamp |
| Beck Cachet - Atlantic | Same as Navy Cachet | Light-Dark Blue | Printed |
| Beck Cachet - Pacific | Same as Navy Cachet | Light Blue-Maroon | Printed |
| Orbit Cachet | Complex Printed Cachet showing Astronauts and Rocket etc - Navy Cachet usually on Back | Green | Printed |
| Gordon Cachet Type 1 | 'Gemini 8 forced down in Pacific' text cachet | Red, Purple | Rubber Stamp |
| Gordon Cachet Type 2 | ANOTHER STEP TO THE MOON etc. | Purple | Rubber Stamp |
| GT-8 Cachet | A small circular text cachet usually appears as an extra cachet. Produced by Morris Beck | Black, Purple, Red, Blue, Green | Rubber Stamp |
| Ship | Description of Postmark | Scarcity |
|---|---|---|
| USS Boxer | Machine Cancel | Common |
| USS Boxer | Hand Cancel | Scarce |
| USS Boxer2 | Both hand cancel and machine cancel - And a second5. | Only 2 known |
|
Ship |
Known Cachet Colours |
Beck Numbers |
| USS Boxerii | Maroon, Redv | 634, 637 |
| USS Caloosahatchee | Black | 635 |
| USS Charles P. Cecil | Black | 638 |
| USS Goodrich | Green, Black | 640 |
| USS Myles C. Fox | Green | 636 |
| USS Noa | Black | 639 |
| USS Leonard F. Mason | Maroon, Blackv | 630 |
| USS Cochrane | Maroon | 629, 632 |
| USS George K. MacKenzie | Maroon | 631 |
| USS Hassayampa | Maroon | 633 |
| Cachet | Description of Cachet | Colours | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| USS Boxer | Cachet shows the Boxer | Greyscale | Printed |
| USS Cochrane | On a general Gemini 8 recovery cover | B/W | Printed |
| USS Hassayampa | Similar to above but blue | Blue | Printed |
| USS Hassayampa | Interesting addressee LCDR Kinley USN | Beck B633 | Printed |
| USS Goodrich | Remarkable cover appears to show a transition between black and green ink | Green with Black NASA emblem | Rubber Stamp |
| USS Myles C. Fox | Postmarded 16 rather than the usual 17 | None | None |
| USS Myles C. Fox | Postmarded 16 & with a maroon USS Fox N/Y/ postmark. Also a Gemini capsule cachet. | Black | Rubber Stamp |
| USS Leonard F. Mason | 'Return to Port' cover3 | Black | Text Label |
| USS Leonard F. Mason2b | A different 'Return to Port' cover | Blue | Printed |
| USS Leonard F. Mason2a | As above with a late postmark | Blue | Printed |
| USS Leonard F. Mason2a | Cover shows the Earth - Late postmark | B/W | Printed |
| USNS Rose Knot1 | Signed by the Ship's Master | None | None |
| Postmark | Description of Cover | Postmark Date |
|---|---|---|
| USS Boxer | Signed by the main recovery helicopter pilot | 17 March 1966 |
| USS Boxer | Signed by Search 1 co-pilot | 17 March 1966 |
| USS Boxer | Signed by Search 1 navigator | 17 March 1966 |
| USS Boxer | Signed by Pararescue Team member | 17 March 1966 |
| USS Boxer5 | Signed by the ship's Commanding Officer and Dave Scott | 17 March 1966 |
| USS Leonard F Mason4 | Signed by the ship's Commander | 17 March 1966 |
Notes General:
i ) It seems that the USS Myles C. Fox was not officially involved in Gemini 8. As the very extensive USS Myles C. Fox website notes 'This was the mission that Fox aborted to attend to the fire aboard the Merchant ship MV Palma.'. A POD letter from the Fox written on her return to port states that three ships were diverted to aid the MV Palma, the USS Myles C Fox, the USS Caloosahatchee and the USS Charles P. Cecil. However, the Fox was diverted the day before liftoff while the other two were diverted during the mission. Hence the Fox did not actually participate in the Gemini 8 mission.
ii ) A number of Beck type single colour USS Boxer covers without numbers are known. Known colours are:
Green, Blue, Gold and Silver/Grey with a hand cancel and Red & Blue with a machine cancel. The exact status of these covers is unknown but it is surmised that at least the ones with a hand cancel are crew covers. See my article for further information.
iii) The USS Wasp was in dry dock for repairs
iv ) This was the USS Kingsport's last mission. After this mission she was on standby. See a note from the purser
v ) This colour is difficult to find
Notes Other:
1) From the collection of Steve Durst
2) Sold on eBay 2010 a) 2013 b) 2017
3) A second cover has been found in the collection of Eddie Bizub. And a third.
4) From the collection of Anthony B O'Brien
5) From the collection of Lee Kok How
This page © Dr Ross J Smith
This page is maintained by the Webmaster
Last modified on 16 November 2024
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