Lunar program recovery ship patches...

[520-73-11]

I'm a bit of a NASA nut. Particularly the Apollo program. I had an LL Bean made A-1 with Apollo program patches on it in the 80's... Got me the nick-name "Top Gun" at work, but that's another story...

 

Anyway, now that I'm digging into the Navy stuff for my Dad, I realized there was, as part of the recovery program, designated recovery ships for each mission and it seem they had patches too!

 

The USS Hornet (CVS-12) was the recovery ship for Apollo 11 and 12 missions. I don't know all the ships for all the Apollo missions, but how does one determine if the patch I find is an issued patch, reproduction of such, or just a random "souvenir" patch? Is there any database on this information?

 

The official mission patches were made by A-B Emblem, and that is where I got my patches. I don't know if they made the ship-board patches as well, or if those came from Gemsco for example. Maybe I can call A-B Emblem and ask them. I was fortunate enough to meet Tom Stafford, Commander of the Apollo 10 missions one afternoon and when he saw my Apollo 10 patch (which was on my A-1 for years) he asked where I got it- he thought it was pulled from a flight suit!

 

Anyway, if you have information and/or guidance please share. I know it's outside the wheelhouse of the site in general but thought it fit in this category, and is also an interesting (and huge logistical) piece of the program that is often overlooked.

 

Thanks!

[mikie]

Hi. I too am a big fan of space exploration as well as military history. It is really cool when both interests come together. If you haven't been there yet, check out collectspace.com. It's like this site, but for space collectors. There are lots of folks happy to share their knowledge.

 

By the way, the USS Hornet is now a museum ship about 50 miles up the road from me in Alameda,CA. It's has an amazing collection of space recovery operation stuff. If you ever get out this way, you've got to check it out.

 

Mikie

[520-73-11]

Hey Mikie, thanks for the tip!

 

I'm going to check that site out you suggested.

[willysmb44]

AB wasn't NASA's primary patch maker during the Apollo era, that I'm aware of (though I could be wrong about that), but the are now.

By the way, the USS Hornet is now a museum ship about 50 miles up the road from me in Alameda,CA. It's has an amazing collection of space recovery operation stuff. If you ever get out this way, you've got to check it out.

Just make sure you call ahead if you go there. My wife and I were in San Fran a few years ago and we crossed the bay to go there, in the middle of the week on an advertised open day.
And not a single car in the parking lot but ours, the gates were locked and no signs explaining why they weren't open. The sign near the gate stating times open clearly stated that they should have been open, but weren't.
To this day, I still don't get it and haven't gotten over how ticked I was, yet, as that was likely the only chance I'll ever have to see the ship.

[mikie]

AB wasn't NASA's primary patch maker during the Apollo era, that I'm aware of (though I could be wrong about that), but the are now.

Just make sure you call ahead if you go there. My wife and I were in San Fran a few years ago and we crossed the bay to go there, in the middle of the week on an advertised open day.

And not a single car in the parking lot but ours, the gates were locked and no signs explaining why they weren't open. The sign near the gate stating times open clearly stated that they should have been open, but weren't.

To this day, I still don't get it and haven't gotten over how ticked I was, yet, as that was likely the only chance I'll ever have to see the ship.

Man, don't blame you for being pissed. Sorry that happened to you. I haven't been up there in about 5 years. I was planning to go a couple of years ago, but I have to go through Oakland to get there and at the time every other week rioters were shutting down the highways. It's been quiet lately, but made me gunshy about going up there. Too bad because it's an awesome museum. Hope you make it someday.

 

Mike