Recovery Force Ships

Ship	Type	Designation	Covers
Atlantic
USS Guam2	PRS - Amphibious Assault Ship5	LPH-9	Y
USS Forest Royal	SRS - Destroyer	DD-872	Y
USS Wallace L Lind	SRS - Destroyer	DD-803	Y
USS McCaffery	SRS - Anti-Sub Destroyer	DD-860	Y
USS Nimpuc	SRS - Fleet Ocean Tug	ATF-157	N
USS Severn7a	SRS - Oiler	AO-61	Y - Hard to Find
Pacific
USS Theodore E Chandler	SRS - Destroyer	DD-717	Y
USS Kawishiwi	SRS - Oiler	AO-146	Y
USS Mansfield	SRS - Destroyer	DD-728	Y
USS O'Bannon	SRS - Destroyer	DD-450	Y
Tracking & Communications Ships
USNS Rose Knot6	TS - West Atlantic, near Sao Tome, Brazil	T-AGM 14	Y
USNS Coastal Sentry	TS - Pacific - NE of the Philippines	T-AGM 15	Y
USNS Wheeling	TS - Pacific - east of Hawaii	T-AGM 8	Y
Other
USNS Kingsport	Communications Relay Ship - Stationed in San Francisco in a ready reserve status	T-AG 164	N

Cachets

Cachet	Description of Cachet	Colours	Type
Navy Recovery Force Cachet GT-11 - Atlantic	Designed by Morris Beck it shows several ships and Gemini cachet on parachute	Maroon, Black1	Rubber Stamp
Navy Recovery Force Cachet GT-11 - Pacific	Designed by Morris Beck it shows several ships and Gemini cachet on parachute	Maroon	Rubber Stamp
Beck Cachet - Atlantic	Same as Navy Cachet	Blue-Red	Printed
Beck Cachet - Pacific	Same as Navy Cachet	Blue-Orange	Printed
GT-11 Cachet	A small circular text cachet usually appears as an extra cachet. Produced by Morris Beck or Harry Gordon	Black, Red	Rubber Stamp
Goldcraft cachet3	Is a copy of an earlier Project Mercury cachet by Donald Schultz. Shows a Mercury capsule inside a circle of rope plus text	Various	Printed
Orbit Cachet	Complex Printed Cachet showing Astronauts and Rocket etc - Navy Cachet usually on Back	Green	Printed
Unknown4	Splashdown and Recovery Operation cachet shows capsule orbiting the Earth	Black	Printed

Navy Recovery Force Cachet Colours & Beck Cachet Numbers

Ship	Known Cachet Colours	Beck Numbers
USS Guam	Maroon, Black, Blue	683, 687
USS Forest Royal	Maroon, Black	684
USS Wallace L Lind	Maroon, Black	685
USS McCaffery	Maroon, Black	686
USS Severn	Maroon	None
USS Kawishiwi	Maroon	679
USS Mansfield	Maroon	682
USS Theodore E Chandler	Maroon	680
USS O'Bannon	Maroon	681

Interesting Cachets & Covers

Cachet	Description of Cachet	Colours	Type
USS Guam6	Late postmark (Sep 27) on unusual Gemini 11 Recovery cover	Greyscale	Printed
USS Guam6	Late postmark (Sep 29) on general Gemini 10 Recovery Ship cover with 10 changed to 11.	Black & Blue	Printed
USS Guam6	Another late postmark (Sep 23 or 25) on Navy cacheted cover	Blue	Rubber Stamp
USS Guam7a	An interesting Official envelope from the Commander Manned Spacecraft Recovery Force to the Commanding Office of the USS Guam	N/A	Printed
USNS Wheeling	Green Gemini cachet in adition to usual MSTS cachet	Green / Black	Rubber Stamps

Signed PRS Covers including Helicopter Recovery Covers - most these covers were actually aboard the PRS during recovery

Postmark	Description of Cover	Postmark DatUe
USS Guam7	Signed by the Swim Team Leader	15 September 1966
USS Guam8	Beck B684 cover signed by Conrad and Gordon as well as the Commanding Officer of the USS Wasp plus the Recovery Team Leader and a member of the Recovery Team	15 September 1966