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Author
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Topic: Project Mercury recovery ship covers
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Axman
Member Posts: 711
From: Derbyshire UK
Registered: Mar 2023
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posted 03-05-2025 05:07 AM
   
These three Mercury program recovery ship covers are all as rare as hen's teeth. In fact, they are so scarce it has taken me more than three years to locate them. I found it easier to source a John R Pierce and a Glenn USS Noa 20th February time slugged cover than I did these three!This 2011 post discussed which Recovery Ship covers were the rarest. It was decided to be between the Gemini 6 abort and Gus Grissom's Mercury flight. Well here is my USS Randolph cover. It has many attributes in common with my USS Noa cover. Although the addressees are different (Trudy Woods as opposed to M Belham) the style of the cachets and typing are the same. (By the way the 23rd February USS Noa beneath is one of the 100+ that arrived today).  
The other two covers are for - - Captain's cover of USS Lake Champlain for Alan Shepard's Mercury flight of 5 May 1961
- Captain's cover of USS Decatur for the orbital MA-4 flight of 13 September 1961 (along with three other later-dated covers using the ship's cachet).
 
I feel very charmed today. Two packages from the United States and one from Australia, all in total containing over a hundred carefully collected covers, despite being sent tracked, had been "missing in the post" for weeks. They all turned up over the last 48 hours, along with some truly spectacular covers that had travelled very swiftly by courier. Out of the 100+ covers that have so recently arrived, were the above three. There is one day in a hobby like ours that you will never get again. I think today was mine. |
thisismills
Member Posts: 584
From: Michigan
Registered: Mar 2012
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posted 03-05-2025 10:37 AM
Thank you for sharing this beautiful selection of rare recovery ship covers! Congratulations on locating them and I am happy to hear that you feel both relief that they finally showed up and the joy of owning them now as part of your collection. Well done. |
bobslittlebro
Member Posts: 308
From: Douglasville, Ga U.S.A.
Registered: Nov 2009
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posted 03-05-2025 02:57 PM
The USS Lake Champlain May 5th, 1961, is not a Captain's cover. It is the ship's everyday envelope. I think Ross Smith would say it's Crew cover. |
yeknom-ecaps
Member Posts: 927
From: Northville MI USA
Registered: Aug 2005
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posted 03-05-2025 03:16 PM
Nice covers! As noted, hard to find for sure!Tim is correct - USS Lake Champlain cover is on the ship postal stationary that was sold at the ship's post office so therefore a Crew Cover. Members of the crew purchased the envelopes for 5 cents and after adding stamps had them postmarked for the flight with the RS wording added. The captain of the USS Lake Champlain was Captain Ralph Weymouth. The USS Decatur is a similar Crew Cover - it is also on ship postal stationary that Lt. Felt purchased and had postmarked and added the RS wording. The captain of the USS Decatur was Commander CDR Royal Thomas Daniel Jr. |
Axman
Member Posts: 711
From: Derbyshire UK
Registered: Mar 2023
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posted 03-06-2025 05:16 AM
Thanks for all the information. I have duly altered my indexes to record them as Crew Covers.
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Ross
Member Posts: 568
From: Australia
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 03-06-2025 06:49 AM
I agree with all the comments on this great set of covers. With the USS Lake Champlain cover there were potentially four different types. First there are two types of stationary; one on ship's stationary and an equivalent on an ordinary envelope. Secondly there are two different postmarks; one with dots (U.S.S.) and one without (USS). This gives the potential four. I would have to check to see if all four exist. With less than 60 covers known less than 15 sets are possible with I guess only two or three actually in existence, if that. The USS Noa cover with time slug is one of the hardest of all Recovery Ship covers to find. I still don't own one. On my site I have a list of the only 14 I have seen. |
yeknom-ecaps
Member Posts: 927
From: Northville MI USA
Registered: Aug 2005
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posted 03-06-2025 07:06 AM
Ross, don't forget about the USS Lake Champlain postcards. There is a 5/5/61 U.S.S. Lake Champlain postcard on your site. So six possibilities... |
micropooz
Member Posts: 1836
From: Washington, DC, USA
Registered: Apr 2003
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posted 03-06-2025 05:31 PM
Alan, congratulations on getting the Lake/Randolph/Decatur covers, and especially in such short order! It took me decades to get one of each... |
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