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Author
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Topic: Astronauts' US Navy recovery ship ballcaps
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4allmankind
Member Posts: 1111
From: Dallas TX
Registered: Jan 2004
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posted 07-02-2018 09:15 PM
   
Have any other hats worn by the astronauts during recovery activities come up for sale since this thread began? |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3961
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 07-03-2018 08:21 AM
Some of the recovery caps worn by the astronauts had wording on the back of the caps. Here are some examples:
- the Gemini 12 caps had no wording on the back
- Schirra (Apollo 7) had "Capt. Schirra"
- the Apollo 8 caps had no wording on the back
- Young (Apollo 10) had "John"
- Armstrong (Apollo 11) may have had "Neil" (?)
- Gordon (Apollo 12) had "Dick"
- the Apollo 13 caps had no wording on the back
- the Apollo 15 caps had no wording on the back
- Young (Apollo 16) had "Apollo 16"
- Cernan (Apollo 17) had "Apollo 17"
- Carr (Skylab) had "Skylab 3"
- the ASTP caps had no wording on the back
Any others? |
kosmo
Member Posts: 539
From:
Registered: Sep 2001
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posted 07-04-2018 07:03 AM
Does anyone have a photo of the Apollo 8 recovery hat? |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3961
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 07-04-2018 08:31 AM
Back in 2008, Heritage Auctions had a Gemini 7 recovery cap worn by Lovell.The letter of certification from Lovell said Gemini 7, but I cannot seem to find a photo of Lovell (or even Borman) wearing a cap at the Gemini 7 recovery. Both Gemini 7 and Gemini 12 involved Lovell and the USS Wasp recovery ship. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3961
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 07-05-2018 02:13 AM
The Heritage Auction Gemini 7 Lovell cap said "U.S.S. Wasp" and had the insignia of a Navy Captain. But Lovell was a Navy Lieutenant Commander when he flew on Gemini 7. He was a Navy Captain when he flew on Gemini 12.Was the Heritage Gemini 7 Lovell cap actually the Gemini 12 Lovell cap? |
ea757grrl
Member Posts: 814
From: South Carolina
Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 07-05-2018 05:14 PM
Someone upthread asked how many recovery caps were made for each mission. The Supply Department report in USS Hornet's Apollo 12 cruise report lists that 1,000 caps were ordered at $2.50 per unit, along with an unspecified number of gold braid caps (likely for VIPs) at $5.32 each from the C. Lloyd Johnson company of Long Beach. I don't know how many were carried aboard for Apollo 11 (the Supply Department portion of that report is rather basic).The Apollo 12 report lists 18 different types of souvenirs sold at the ship's store during the deployment, ranging from caps and the "Three More Like Before" buttons to mugs, ashtrays, Zippo lighters, ball-point pens, postcards, slides and more. These were snapped up not only by crewmembers but also by the many civilians (NASA personnel, technical representatives, journalists, etc.) embarked for the recovery mission. A jacket is not among the items listed for Apollo 12; however, I imagine the offerings varied from ship to ship and deployment to deployment, depending on the imagination in supply departments and the ability to get these items produced. On another question, the caps presented to the Apollo 8 crewmembers were dark blue and read "USS YORKTOWN / FIGHTING LADY," with scrambled eggs on the bill and (IIRC) a Navy officer device between the two lines. "The Fighting Lady" is Yorktown's unofficial nickname. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3961
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 07-06-2018 04:16 AM
Some nice footage here of the Apollo 8 crew wearing their recovery caps.
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LM-12
Member Posts: 3961
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 07-06-2018 02:21 PM
From the S73-29141 photo caption: The three Skylab 2 crewmen arrive on the deck of the prime recovery ship, USS Ticonderoga, following the successful splashdown of the Skylab 2 Command Module about 835 miles southwest of San Diego, California. Leading down the steps is astronaut Charles Conrad Jr., commander, followed by scientist-astronaut Joseph P. Kerwin, science pilot, and astronaut Paul J. Weitz, pilot. When the Skylab 2 CM hatch was opened on the deck of the USS Ticonderoga, the crew had on the white caps they were seen wearing in orbit. As they exited the CM, they were handed the dark caps and wore those. Conrad and Weitz can be seen in the photo holding their white caps. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3961
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 07-07-2018 09:23 AM
USS Hornet Captain Carl Seiberlich wore a couple of recovery caps.He wore a cap that read "USS HORNET / CAPT. SEIBERLICH / COMMANDING OFFICER / APOLLO 11" for the Apollo 11 recovery. He also wore a cap that read "HORNET / APOLLO 12 / CAPT. SEIBERLICH" for the Apollo 12 recovery. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3961
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 07-10-2018 12:00 PM
Armstrong and Aldrin can be seen in this film clip wearing their caps when they left the MQF at the Lunar Receiving Laboratory. Some wording can be seen on the back of Aldrin's cap, probably his first name. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3961
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 07-10-2018 08:54 PM
The Apollo 12 astronauts can be seen wearing their white caps in the command module on 16mm Magazine H. Conrad and Bean can be seen wearing their white caps in the LM during the television broadcast on Flight Day 3. Gordon was also wearing his white cap during the broadcast. I wonder if any white caps were in the lunar module when they landed on the moon two days later. Conrad had a propeller on his white cap. From the Flight Day 2 mission transcripts at 01 06 26 20 GET: CMP: Hey, Houston, what do you think of the hats our boss presented with us?CC: We were just going to ask you for a little fashion show here, troops. CMP: Well, we've got a space-qualified beta cloths and all those good things. CC: Roger. CAPCOM has one, too. CMP: Outstanding. Have you got a propeller on yours? CC: No. Just one guy's got a propeller. CMP: ... That's what I figured. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3961
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 07-11-2018 09:26 AM
There was a patch on the back of the blue recovery caps worn by Conrad, Gordon and Bean. The word "DEMOLITION" can be seen on the patch of the cap that Gordon is wearing backwards in photo 69-H-1766 taken on the Hornet. |
ea757grrl
Member Posts: 814
From: South Carolina
Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 07-11-2018 03:27 PM
Most likely the "Underwater Demolition" frogman patch, there because of the UDT swimmers who assisted in the recovery. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3961
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 07-11-2018 10:23 PM
Regarding the Heritage Gemini 7 Lovell cap, has anyone ever seen a photo of Borman or Lovell wearing a cap at the Gemini 7 recovery? |
Spaceflyer
Member Posts: 221
From: Nauheim, Germany
Registered: Jan 2003
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posted 07-13-2018 04:44 AM
Here are some images of recovery caps (front and back) from Bean, Worden, Duke and Cernan. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3961
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 07-13-2018 06:50 AM
A nice collection there. The design on the bill of the Apollo 15 cap is rather unique. |
ea757grrl
Member Posts: 814
From: South Carolina
Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 07-13-2018 03:17 PM
quote:
Originally posted by LM-12:
The design on the bill of the Apollo 15 cap is rather unique.
That's the style of "scrambled eggs" the Air Force used on the hats of senior officers. All three of the Apollo 15 crew were Air Force. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3961
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 07-13-2018 09:08 PM
Apollo 9 photo 69PC-0102 shows Jim McDivitt (Colonel, USAF), Dave Scott (Colonel, USAF) and Rusty Schweickart wearing their recovery caps.Rusty Schweickart was a civilian, so the bill of his cap did not have the scrambled eggs. It read "Apollo 9" instead. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3961
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 07-14-2018 07:58 AM
The Apollo 17 crew had a UDT patch on their orange coveralls when they stepped off the helicopter at the recovery. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3961
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 07-20-2018 02:30 PM
The Gemini 11 crew had these caps in orbit, according to the September 30, 1966 issue of the MSC Roundup newsletter:
Richard Gordon and Charles "Pete" Conrad sported baseball caps complete with saltie tradition of scrambled eggs when they stepped onto the deck of the USS Guadacanal (sic) following their successful three-day flight. Conrad and Gordon, each with the rank of Navy Commander, carried the baseball caps aboard their spacecraft and donned them just before they stepped onto the deck of the carrier. (The prime recovery ship for Gemini 11 was actually the USS Guam.) |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3961
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 07-20-2018 08:03 PM
I wonder if the grey and gold "U.S. Navy" patches that Conrad and Gordon wore on their white baseball caps during the Apollo 12 mission are the very same grey and gold "U.S. Navy" patches they wore on their Gemini 11 spacesuits. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3961
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 07-21-2018 09:13 PM
The U.S. Navy does have a Naval Astronaut insignia, but it looks like it is actually the Naval Aviator insignia that is on those "U.S. Navy" patches. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3961
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 09-03-2018 05:56 AM
Pete Conrad wore what looks like his Gemini 11 recovery cap in the MOCR during the Gemini 12 mission. |
perineau
Member Posts: 407
From: FRANCE
Registered: Jul 2007
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posted 09-12-2018 12:41 PM
Does anyone happen to have a good color photo of the Apollo 8 and/or ASTP crews wearing their recovery ship baseball caps? Any help would be most appreciated!Editor's note: Threads merged. |
kosmo
Member Posts: 539
From:
Registered: Sep 2001
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posted 05-08-2020 11:17 AM
Just a few more recovery caps for cS members to see. The Skylab II and ASTP caps were made by Lesley Corp. and don't seem to be the same quality as the Apollo 10 and Apollo 16, Harvard made caps. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3961
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 05-11-2020 10:31 AM
Here is Christie's auction listing for the Apollo 11 recovery cap for backup lunar module pilot Fred Haise. |
kosmo
Member Posts: 539
From:
Registered: Sep 2001
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posted 06-06-2023 10:16 PM
Does anyone have a clear photo of the caps that were used on the USS Yorktown for the recovery of Apollo 8 or an actual cap that they would share a photo of? |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3961
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 06-30-2024 04:01 PM
I don't think this was mentioned earlier: a ball cap almost made it to the lunar surface. And from Chaikin's "Voices From the Moon", quoting Pete Conrad: "I collect hats ... The other thing, which didn't make the flight, which I have at home, is a gigantic goddam hat, because everybody knew I collected hats, that I was going to wear on the lunar surface. But it didn't make the flight. It's a gigantic one to fit on top of the helmet. It was a blue and white ball cap, and it was all made to fit on top of the helmet. Somehow, the guys - It was fairly big, so I don't think they figured out how to get it on the spacecraft and get it by the inspectors."Ulli writes; "As the Apollo 12 LEVAs were left on the moon, Pete's original Charlie Brown cap is shown here on Armstrong's Apollo 11 flown LEVA."  |
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