| Ship | Type | Designation | Covers |
| Atlantic | |||
| USS Wasp | PRS - Carrier | CVS-18 | Y |
| USS Bordelon | SRS - Radar Picket destroyer | DD-881 | Y |
| USS Chickaskiaiv | SRS - Oiler | AO-54 | Y |
| USS William C. Lawe | SRS - Destroyer | DD-763 | Y |
| USS McCaffery | SRS - Anti-Sub Destroyer | DDE-860 | Y |
| USS Nimble | SRS - Ocean Minesweeper | MSO-459 | Y |
| USS Opportune | SRS - Salvage Ship | ARS-41 | N |
| USS Papago | SRS - Fleet Ocean Tug | AFT-160 | N |
| USS Sabine | SRS - Oiler | AO-25 | N |
| USS Robert L. Wilson | SRS - Destroyer | DD-847 | Y |
| Pacific | |||
| USS Epperson | SRS - Destroyer | DD-719 | Y |
| USS George K. MacKenzie | SRS - Destroyer | DD-836 | Y |
| USS Hassayampa | SRS - Oiler (recovery logistic ship) | AO-145 | Y (only 1 known) |
| USS Rupertus | SRS - Destroyer | DD-851 | Y |
| Tracking & Communications Ships | |||
| USNS Rose Knot | TS - West Atlantic, near Sao Tome, Brazil | T-AGM 14 | Y |
| USNS Coastal Sentry | TS - Pacific | T-AGM 15 | Y |
| USNS Range Tracker | TS - Position Unknown | T-AGM 1 | Y |
| USNS Wheelingi | TS - Position Unknown | T-AGM 8 | N |
| Other | |||
| USNS Kingsport | Communications Relay Ship - Stationed in San Francisco in a ready reserve status | T-AG 164 | U/K |
| Probably Not Involved | |||
| USS Saratoga | The USS Hassayampa website claims this ship was involved. However, this seems unlikely as, according to her own website, she undertook a Mediterranean cruise during 1969. | CVA-60 | N |
| Not Involved | |||
| USS Kankakee | Oiler | AO-39 | Y |
| USS Observation Island6 | Experimental Miscellaneous Auxiliary | EAG 154 | Y |
| USNS Twin Falls | Tracking Ship | T-AGM 11 | Y |
| Cachet | Description of Cachet | Colours | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Navy Recovery Force Cachet GT-9 - Atlantic |
Designed by Morris Beck it shows Gemini Capsule |
Maroon, Black | Rubber Stamp |
| Navy Recovery Force Cachet GT-9 - Pacific |
Designed by Morris Beck it shows Gemini Capsule |
Maroon, Black | Rubber Stamp |
| Beck Cachet - Atlantic | Same as Navy Cachet | Red-Green-Black | Printed |
| Beck Cachet - Pacific | Same as Navy Cachet | Orange-Green-Black | Printed |
| GT-9 Cachet | A small circular text cachet usually appears as an extra cachet. Produced by Morris Beck or Harry Gordon | Black, Red, Blue | Rubber Stamp |
| Goldcraft Cachet1 | Recovery Ship for US Man in Space cachet | Various | Printed |
| Goldcraft Add-on Cachet | Shows head of President Kennedy | Black | Rubber Stamp |
| Gordon Cachet | Text cachet | Purple, Red | Rubber Stamp |
| Orbit Cachet | Complex Printed Cachet showing Astronauts and Rocket etc - Navy Cachet usually on Back | Green | Printed |
| US Aircraft Carrier Cachet | Shows a US Carrier in a circular cachet | Blue | Rubber Stamp |
| Ship | Description of Postmark | Scarcity |
|---|---|---|
| USS Wasp | Machine Cancel | Common |
| USS Wasp | Hand Cancel | Common |
| USS Wasp | Hand postmark with an inverted 1966 | Scarce3 |
| USS Rupertus | Ship's name bottom of postmark | Most Common |
| USS Rupertus | Ship's name top of postmark | Common |
|
Ship |
Known Cachet Colours |
Beck Numbers |
| USS Wasp | Maroon, Black | 651, 657 |
| USS Bordelon | Black | 654 |
| USS Chickaskia | Black | 656 |
| USS William C. Lawe | Black | 653 |
| USS McCaffery | Maroon, Black | 655 |
| USS Robert L. Wilson | Black | 652 |
| USS Epperson | Maroon | 647, 648 |
| USS George K. MacKenzie | Maroon | 649 |
| USS Rupertus | Maroon | 650 |
| Cachet | Description of Cachet | Colours | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| USS Wasp | Cover from a member of the crew to his son including a particularly interesting letter (see note iii) | Maroon | Rubber Stamp |
| USS Wasp | Two USS Wasp hand cancels in different corners of the cover and one is upside down | Maroon (on back) | Rubber Stamp |
| USS Wasp | Cover has a printed USS Wasp corner card and a hand cancel. | Maroon | Rubber Stamp |
| USS Wasp | Rare Official Business cover and thus no stamp required | Maroon | Rubber Stamp |
| USS Wasp4 | Unusual mimeographed cachet. Cover also has the scarce inverted 1966 postmark. This cachet has been reported on other SRS covers. | B/W | Mimeographed |
| USS Nimble | Gordon Text cachet & Stamp Like Self-Adhesive | Green - B/W | Rubber Stamp |
| USS Robert L. Wilson2 | Ship's cachet plus Navy Cachet | Black - Black | Rubber Stamp |
| USS Robert L. Wilson | Navy Cachet plus a mission patch | Black - Multicolour | Rubber Stamp/ Patch |
| USS Robert L. Wilson | B652 cover with extra postmark from Norfolk Jun 7 | Multicolour | Printed |
| USS William C. Lawe | Has a second postmark from Jacksonville | Black | Rubber Stamp |
| USNS Range Tracker | Great Austrian postcard has a MSTS cachet plus a USNS Range Tracker embossed emblem | Black | Rubber Stamp |
| USS Bordelon5 | Ship's cachet instead of Navy cachet. This is the only one seen | Black | Rubber Stamp |
| Postmark | Description of Cover | Postmark Date |
|---|---|---|
| USS Wasp | Black Navy cachet signed by Swimteam Commander, Danny Bowman UDT 21 | 6 June 1966 |
Notes General:
i) There is doubt as to whether this ship was involved in the mission
ii) The mission was originally scheduled for launch (as Gemini 9) on 17 May but was postponed when the Gemini Agena Target Vehicle failed to achieve orbit due to a booster failure earlier that day. The replacement Augmented Target Docking Adapter (ATDA) was launched successfully into Earth orbit on 1 June, but telemetry indicated that the shroud had failed to jettison properly. Gemini 9 was to launch shortly thereafter but ground equipment failure resulted in a postponement until 3 June. Source: http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=1966-047A
iii) The letter is interesting in that, as well as the usual pleasantries, it mentions completing several trials of the recovery procedures including the use of a dummy capsule which looks like the real thing. The trials also included fixed wing aircraft, helicopters and UDT swimmers.
iv) All USS Chickaskia covers seen to date have an A added after the 9. As covers from this ship are the only ones seen with a 9 it is assumed that the 9 was added by the ship's Postal Officer to all it's covers. Observation thanks to Eugenio Vespiano.
This page © Dr Ross J Smith
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Last modified on 25 May 2024
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