GEMINI RECOVERY SHIP COVER & POSTMARK VARIETIES

Gemini 3 - 23 March 1965

Recovery Force Ships6

Ship Type Designation Covers

Atlantic

USS Intrepid

PRS - Carrier

CVS-11

Y

USS Ault

SRS - Destroyer

DD-698

Y

USS Bigelow

SRS - Destroyer

DD-942

Y

USS Boston

SRS - Heavy Cruiser

CA-68

Y

USS Cony

SRS - Anti-Sub Destroyer

DD-508

Y

USCGC Diligence4

SRS - Cutter

WMEC-616

Y (Medium/Rare)

USS Harold J Ellison1

SRS - Destroyer

DD-864

Y

USS Douglas H Fox

SRS - Destroyer

DD-779

Y

USS Harwood7

SRS - Destroyer

DD-861

Y(Rare)

USS John Paul Jones

SRS - Guided Missile Destroyer

DD-32

Y

USS Kankakee

SRS - Oiler

AO-39

Y

USS Mullinnix

SRS - Destroyer

DD-944

Y

USS Nipnuc5

SRS - Fleet Ocean Tug

AFT-157

Y (Rare)

USS Robert A. Owens

SRS - Destroyer

DD-827

Y3(Difficult)

USS Rich

SRS - Destroyer

DD-820

Y

USS Sarsfield

SRS - Anti-Sub Destroyer

DDE-837

Y

USS Sturdy5

SRS - Ocean Minesweeper

MSO-494

Y (Rare)

USS Swerve

SRS - Ocean Minesweeper

MSO-495

Y (Rare)

USCGC Vigilant5

SRS - Gunboat

WPC-617

Y (Rare)

USS Robert L Wilson

SRS - Destroyer

DD-847

Y

Tracking & Communications Ships

USNS Rose Knot

TS - Between Hawaii and California

T-AGM 14

Y

USNS Coastal Sentry

TS - Southern Indian Ocean

T-AGM 15

Y

USNS Range Tracker

TS - Position Unknown

T-AGM 1

Y

USNS Kingsport

Communications Relay Ship - Southern Indian Ocean

T-AG 164

Y


Cachets

Cachet

Description of Cachet

Colours Type 
Navy Recovery Force Cachet
Gemini 2

See Navy Cachet for Gemini 2

Maroon,Blue,Black  Rubber Stamp 
Navy Recovery Force Cachet
Gemini 3

Designed by Morris Beck it shows a Gemini capsule

 Maroon,Black1 Rubber Stamp
Beck Cachet Similar to Gemini 3 Navy Cachet  Yellow-Blue Printed 
Orbit Cachet Complex Printed Cachet showing Astronauts and Rocket etc - Navy Cachet usually on Back Green Printed
Gemini Capsule Cachet A small cachet showing a Gemini capsule Black  Rubber Stamp
 GT-3 Cachet A small circular text cachet usually appears as an extra cachet. Produced by Morris Beck Red/Black Rubber Stamp
GT-3 Text Cachet 'Project Gemini GT-3 US Navy Recovery Force Grissom & Young' - So far only found on US Rich covers Maroon Rubber Stamp

Postmark Variations

Ship

Description of Postmark

Scarcity
USS Intrepid Machine Cancel Common
USS Intrepid Hand cancel Extremely Rare2

Navy Recovery Force Cachet Colours & Beck Cachet Numbers

Ship

Known Cachet Colours

Beck Numbers

 

GT-2

GT-3

 
USS Intrepid   Maroon, Purple  515, 520
USS Ault Maroon     None
USS Bigelow Blue    None
USS Boston   Maroon only crew covers known
USS Cony   Black  None
USS Harold J Ellison1   Gold, Pink, Blue   525, 526
USS Douglas H Fox   Maroon  516, 519
USS Harwood   Maroon  None
USS John Paul Jones Maroon Maroon  527, 528
USS Kankakee Maroon   None 
USS Mullinnix Maroon Maroon 523, 524 
USS Robert Owens Maroon   See GT-4
USS Rich   U/K  None
USS Sarsfield   Black  517, 518, 529
USS Robert L Wilson Black Black  None

Interesting Cachets & Covers

Cachet

Description of Cachet

Colours Type 
USS Intrepid9 Navy cachet on ship's printed stationary - Rare various Printed/
Rubber Stamp
USS Intrepid4 Navy cachet on Admiral's Stationary - Rare Maroon Rubber Stamp
USS Intrepid Unusual Pictorial Label on an Orbit Cover shows an Aircraft Carrier Black Printed/
Self Adhesive

USS Harold J Ellison1

 Ship's cachet - usually on the back of the cover various   Rubber Stamp

USS Robert L Wilson5

Interesting cover from the Commander Destroyer Division 362 Black Rubber Stamp

USS Swerve4

Unusual Cachet Aqua Rubber Stamp
Corpus Christi Navy cachet with a Corpus Christi postmark Black Rubber Stamp


Notes:
1) The USS Ellison is a special case - Covers also include the ship's cachet, usually on the back
2) A Beck (B520) cover with a hand cancel is reported in Ray Cartier's 'Primary Recovery Ship Cover Handbook'. However this appears to have been added when the usual machine cancel missed the stamp. Only one other hand cancel has been reported, on a Beck designed Navy RSC cover. In October 2009 another cover with the scarce hand cancel was sold on EBay and another one was also sold.
3) Only covers with Navy cachets exist. Beck cacheted covers were sent to the wrong ship and later used for GT-4. See the note that was returned with the covers.
4) From the collection of Steve Durst
5) From the collection of Tom Steiner
6) The NASA Mission Report lists the Recovery Forces as consisting of 19 ships, including a Carrier, 12 Destroyers, a Crusier, a Coast Guard Cutter, an Oiler, a Salvage type ship plus two unidentified ships. All other reports list 20 ships.
7) From collection of Dennis Paul
8)
9) From collection of Wolf Magnus

 

This page © Dr Ross J Smith
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Last modified on 9 December 2011

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