posted 01-10-2016 07:22 AM               

Space Cover #351: Solid Rocket Booster Retrieval Ship Covers

To recover the spent Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) casings after each Space Shuttle launch, NASA utilized two specially built ships: UTC Freedom Star and UTC Liberty Star. Each ship was 176 feet in length and had a crew of ten. Prior to each Space Shuttle launch, each ship would be stationed about eight miles from the predicted impact zone. After SRB splashdown, each ship would then tow the spent casings and other recovered booster hardware to port.

At the beginning of the Space Shuttle Program, and for a limited amount of time, covers were serviced by each ship for each Shuttle SRB retrieval. At first, covers were rubber stamped with a cachet of a silhouette of each ship, with information added to the front about the recovery, such as mission, date and retrieval location. Some were even signed by the ship's master, but most had facsimile rubber stamp signatures applied. Liberty Star's captain, James Bond, was especially accommodating in signing these covers, while rubber stamp facsimile signatures were generally applied by other captains.

For example, Freedom Star's first captain, Dan Riksen, typically used a rubber stamp signature, but the STS-2 cover shown above was later sent to him and actually signed and inscribed by him.

These two covers were serviced for the STS-4 SRB retrieval and the top cover shows one of several different printed color cachets applied to the covers. The bottom cover has printed information added to the back of the cover, with a Dan Riksen facsimile signature.

The top cover was serviced for the ninth SRB retrieval of the SRBs (STS-9) and has another type of color cachet applied. The bottom cover was serviced for STS-41C (eleventh Shuttle flight) and has retrieval information rubber stamped on the back, along with a rubber stamp signature.

I have no retrieval ship covers after STS-41C and do wonder if that may have been the last retrieval that the two ships provided cover service for, as they did end the service because of excessive requests. I also don't know if covers were serviced for the STS-1 booster retrievals. Also I don't know if these retrieval covers were typically carried onboard the two ships during retrieval operations or just kept in their home port at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

posted 01-10-2016 10:01 PM               

Yes, indeed, USBI did produce color printed cachet covers for STS-1 from Canaveral on Apr. 14, 1981, and were hand-signed by the ship's captains of both retrieval vessels.

In addition, a limited number of rubber stamp cachet covers were processed and hand-signed for the first shuttle launch.

All covers from STS-1, as with the noted above types, were aboard/carried on the ships themselves, as confirmed by United Technologies public relations rep Sue Butler to me during the mid-1980's.

Mission STS-41C, though, was not the last USBI/Morton Thiokol company produced SRB pickup/retrieval color cachet cover.

The final company-cover issue of their long series was for the 12th retrieval of the boosters from STS-41D by both the renamed Liberty Star and Freedom Star of that year (1984).

posted 01-11-2016 11:15 AM               

In preparing my SCOTW presentation, I failed to locate a special SRB retrieval cover to include and it is shown now.

The cover has two cancels marking the return to port of both retrieval ships, towing the two STS-1 spent SRBs, and also has Liberty/Freedom Star rubber stamp cachets.

It was probably privately done, as I bought it from early space cover collector Ray Burton for $6. Ray evidently had inside connections and had rubber stamp cachet impressions from both the Liberty Star and Freedom Star applied to the cover along with the cancels.

I also have received scans of eight SRB retrieval ship covers from Jason Rubin, with two covers having cachets I've not seen before. Evidently, the two ships used a number of color photo cachets depicting the two ships - perhaps a different photo cachet for each SRB retrieval mission.

posted 01-11-2016 11:49 AM               

Well-known space cover dealer Bob Boudwin of Woodbury, NJ, did in fact produce many space covers all throughout his long space cover career, including SRB Cape-retrieved events, as Ross pointed out.

Even before STS-1 flew, covers were being produced for various SRB test events off the Florida Coast along with other booster- related activities, of which Boudwin did covers for.

My firm would cancel or postmark his covers by the thousands here at the Florida Space Coast; mainly at the Cape, KSC, Patrick AFB, and Merritt Island postal facilities.

But Boudwin was one of several other major U.S. and European space cover dealers that would request philatelic cancel services for many of the SRB retrieval events during the 1980/90's.

posted 01-11-2016 12:08 PM               

I've got several hundred of them from most of the retrieval missions, all carried, and signed by the ship's captain. Very limited, though, with STS-1, 2, and 3, but I do have many that can be available from STS-4, 5, a few 6's, 7, some 8's, 9, 41B, and 41C. In most cases both ship covers are available.

Most of mine came from a leading USBI booster project official as he was leaving the company along with a few of their public relations folks during the mid/late 1980's.

Also got many specialties, like with Ray Burton, of SRB combo-events of rubber stamp applications and others.

posted 01-11-2016 04:05 PM               

Here two of my SRB retrieval ship covers (both are UTC Liberty) with slightly different rubber stamp cachets.

My STS-1 cover postamrked at KSC on April 12, 1981

And my STS-9 cover postmarked at CC on Nov 30, 1983.

posted 01-11-2016 07:03 PM               

Let me email you a little bit later if you don't mind. I'm not even sure, to be perfectly honest, what would be a fair and reasonable price for the USBI/Morton Thiokol printed covers? Any ideas?

quote:

---

Originally posted by Antoni RIGO:
Sorry, but I am unable to identify if signatures are original or facsimile.

---

But I've never seen the black rubber stamp impression, though, from your provided STS-1 cover issue. Did you mail the cover direct to USBI's Cape-side located administrative office, in which afterwards, was it mailed back to you filled-out and signed with the provided rubber stamp cachet on it?

posted 01-12-2016 07:23 AM               

A couple from STS-1:

STS-2:

And one from STS-61C which seems later then mentioned above.

posted 04-02-2016 03:07 PM               

The top cover is a scarce STS-1 SRB recovery ship cover from the UTC Liberty. The bottom cover is also from the Liberty and was onboard during the STS-51B recovery operations and is nicely signed by Capt. Ed Sottak.

posted 05-09-2017 04:32 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by Hart Sastrowardoyo:
Wasn't there also an SRB retrieval ship for Vandenberg flights?

---

posted 05-10-2017 10:16 AM               

A third retrieval vessel, Independence, was built in 1985 by Halter Marine in Moss Point, Mississippi to support shuttle launch operations at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. It was owned by the U.S. Air Force. After construction, she spent time at KSC getting ready for service. Independence, along with Freedom Star and Liberty Star, also was used in the salvage and recovery operations following the Challenger accident. On August 22, 1987, Independence left KSC for Port Hueneme, California, where the Air Force turned the vessel over to the Navy.

posted 11-26-2017 08:43 AM               

My first two questions are:

1. I have Bob Boudwin SRB Recovery covers for STS-26 to STS-51L. Did he do covers for any other missions.
   
2. The earliest printed UT's United Space Boosters covers I've seen are for STS-4. Are there printed covers for STS-1 to STS-3?

posted 11-27-2017 03:36 AM               

However, it is not yet confirmed that UT produced printed covers for STS-1 to STS-3, as you asked.

Here is a UT rubber stamp cachet cover (not printed) for STS-1:

Please, can anyone let us show the image for a UT printed cover for STS-1 to STS-3? And we will confirm that they exist. Thanks.

posted 12-10-2017 03:43 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ross:
Ken, do you think the following cover also has a fake cachet?

---

posted 12-17-2017 12:31 PM               

I will look into my albums if I am able to find some SRB covers for you and I will send scans.