posted 08-22-2021 03:05 PM               

Space Cover #619: USS John Young and Interesting Tie-In Covers

Many of us have what I like to call "Tie-In" covers in our collections. These are covers that are not necessarily considered mission covers or event covers but add to the uniqueness of our collections by being postmarked at locations that sound space related. Places like Apollo, Pennsylvania; Moon, Kentucky; Moon, Virginia; and Satellite Beach, Florida really have nothing to do with the space program but have really cool names.

There can also be mission-specific related names. For instance, I have Apollo 11 covers postmarked in Landing, New Jersey; Tranquility, New Jersey; and from a number of cities named Armstrong and Collins. Again, not really space related but very cool related names.

The pictured cover is one of my favorites and is a great example of tie-in covers. It's postmarked for the launch of STS-1 aboard USS John Young. Of course John Young was the commander of STS-1 and was the 9th man to walk on the moon. The ship however is not named to honor our famous astronaut but is named for a captain in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Captain Young commanded a number of naval vessels during the war and had a number of successful campaigns. He was lost in a gale storm in 1781 while commanding sloop-of-war Saratoga which disappeared without a trace.

Today there are a handful of vessels that are in fact named after astronauts but even though this USS John Young was not named after the famous astronaut it does make a unique tie-in to STS-1 and a nice addition to my collection. Do any of you have other unique tie-in covers? Let’s see them!