Recovery Force Ships
| Ship |
Type |
Designation | Covers |
|
Atlantic |
|||
|
PRS - Carrier |
CVS-39 |
Y |
|
|
USS Agile |
SRS - Ocean Minesweeper |
MSO-421 |
N |
|
USS Bulwark |
SRS - Ocean Minesweeper |
MSO-425 |
N |
|
SRS - Destroyer |
DD-711 |
Y |
|
|
SRS - Destroyer |
DD-819 |
Y |
|
|
SRS - Destroyer |
DD-889 |
Y |
|
|
SRS - Fleet Ocean Tug |
ATF-159 |
N2 |
|
|
SRS - Destroyer |
DD-757 |
Y (scarce) |
|
|
SRS - Destroyer |
DD-872 |
Y |
|
|
SRS - Destroyer |
DD-862 |
Y |
|
|
Tracking & Communications Ships |
|||
|
USNS Rose Knot |
TS - Position Unknown |
T-AGM 14 |
N |
|
USNS Coastal Sentry |
TS - Position Unknown |
T-AGM 15 |
N |
|
Not Involved |
|||
|
SRS - Destroyer |
DD-865 |
Y |
|
Cachets
|
Cachet |
Description of Cachet |
Colours | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project Gemini | General Gemini Cachet | Maroon | Rubber Stamp |
| Navy Recovery Force Cachet | Designed by Morris Beck it shows two men & a capsule | Black,Blue,Maroon,Green, Purple |
Rubber Stamp |
| Beck Cachet | Same as Navy Cachet | Blue-Red | Printed |
| Goldcraft Cachet | A printed orange cachet over a Navy Beck rubber stamped cachet |
Orange | Printed |
Postmark Variations
|
Ship |
Description of Postmark |
Scarcity |
|---|---|---|
| USS Lake Champlain | Hand cancel with P.M. postmark | Common |
| USS Lake Champlain4 | Hand cancel with A.M. postmark | Rare |
| USS Lake Champlain | Machine cancel1 | Scarce |
Navy Recovery Force Cachet Colours & Beck Cachet Numbers
|
Ship |
Known Cachet Colours |
Beck Numbers |
| USS Lake Champlain | Black, Red, Purple | 461, 463 |
| USS Eugene A. Greene | Black, Maroon, Blue | 459 |
| USS Holder | Green | 456 |
| USS O'Hare | Black | 460 |
| USS Putnam | Black | None |
| USS Forrest Royal | Black, Maroon | 462 |
| USS Vogelgesang | Maroon | 459 |
| USS Charles R Ware | Purple | 457 |
|
Cachet |
Description of Cachet |
Colours | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| USS Lake Champlain3 | An interesting Crew cover on ship's stationary from a crew member to his father. Has a machine cancel. | Red | Rubber Stamp |
Notes:
1) One such cover contained a letter from an Ensign on Lake Champlain official stationery to a friend stating:
'The only ones like it were those that we mailed out from the ship today. This cancel was not used on collectors
covers'.
1a) Almost all machine cancels are found on #10 large envelopes. However, Tom Steiner has one on a regular
size envelope.
2) The closest to a USS Paiute cover is a late postmark cover sold on eBay in May 2009.
3) From the collection of Steve Durst
4) From the collection of Antoni Rigo. Four such covers are now known. Two more have been found for a total of
six.
This page © Dr Ross J Smith
This page is maintained by the Webmaster
Last modified on 16 May 2011
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