Page 24 Universal Ship Cancellation Society Log February 2011 Naval Space Aviators Figure 3 shows a cover that was cancelled aboard Don Tjossem (L-10,987) th LAKE CHAMPLAIN (CVS 39) on 19 June 1961, just over a 8109 – 176 Ave KPS month following this historic flight. Frank Hoak has written Longbranch, WA 98351 an excellent article in the Naval Cover Fakes, Forgeries and [email protected] Frauds series regarding many forged covers that have the actual flight date of 5 May 1961. Alan Shepard - Early Naval Space Aviator Quite often we do not think of the first Americans in space as early Naval Aviation pioneers, but Alan B. Shepard and many others were exactly that. Alan Shepard began his naval career after he graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1944. He served as an Ensign in USS COGSWELL (DD 651) during World War II, immediately following graduation from the academy, while it was deployed in the Pacific Ocean. He received his naval aviator wings in 1947. He was then chosen by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to be one of the first 110 military test pilots to be eligible for the first manned space flight program. Following that, after many physical and psychological tests, Figure 3: USS CHAMPLAIN (CVS 39) cover showing Type he was chosen to be one of the original seven Mercury 2 cancel from mid 1961 period. astronauts. That was fifty years ago, in January 1961, that he was chosen to be the first American on a manned mission Following the period between 1964 and 1969, Shepard into space. This flight, which was called Freedom 7, took was unable to maintain his flight status, but after successful place 5 May 1961. Figure 1 shows corrective eye surgery, he was appointed as commander of the patch for this mission. This flight Apollo 14. This mission was to be the third successful lunar carried him an altitude of 116 miles landing mission and took place from 31 January 1971 – 9 and he landed 302 miles down the February 1971. This flight is remembered as the one where Atlantic Missile Range, which was a Shepard hit two golf balls with a Wilson six-iron head big deal at the time. The launch and attached to a lunar-sample scoop handle and indicated his his recovery by helicopter were second drive went “miles and miles and miles.” watched on live television by millions. Figure 1 Figure 4 shows the Apollo 14 The main objective of Project Mercury was to find out mission patch. This mission was man’s capabilities in space and what the effects would be launched on 31 January 1971 and upon returning to earth. This was a very brave mission to concluded on 9 January 1971. It volunteer for at that time! Nobody really knew what to lasted just over nine days and expect as only monkeys and the Russian pilot Yuri Gagarin completed 34 orbits of the earth. had preceded him by only a few weeks. At that time we The distance covered was 1,150,321 really weren’t sharing much information with the Russians at miles. Figure 4 that time. Figure 5 shows a cover and cachet from USS Figure 2, in a photo credited to NASA, Shepard is HAWKINS (DD 873) showing that it is a member of the shown being hoisted aboard a U. S. Apollo 14 Atlantic Recovery Marine helicopter from squadron Force. This cover was cancelled HMR(L)-262 after splashdown in on 9 February 1971 with a P (H- the Atlantic, immediately after 19) provisional cancel tied to a completing the Freedom 7 mission. Scott # 1287 John F. Kennedy 13- He was then immediately taken cent stamp. aboard USS LAKE CHAMPLAIN Figure 6 shows a cover and (CVS 39). Shepard had cachet from USS NEW demonstrated that there was no ORLEANS (LPH 11), the actual possible doubt that man could recovery ship, cancelled also on 9 function intelligently aboard the February 1971. This cachet is red Mercury spacecraft and with relative and indicates it is on the Pacific safety in a true space environment Recovery Force. This cancellation for 15 minutes. is tied to a Scott # C76 First Man Figure 2 on Moon 10-cent airmail stamp. February 2011 Universal Ship Cancellation Society Log Page 25 Figure 5: 9 February 1971 USS HAWKINS Apollo 14 Atlantic Figure 8: USCS Decatur Chapter #4 documented the Recovery Force cachet christening of the LEWIS AND CLARK-class cargo ship, ALAN SHEPARD in San Diego, CA with this cover dated 6 December 2006. References www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mercury/missions/freedom7. html http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo 14.html http://www.nasa.gov/home/index.html http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4001/cover.htm http://www.navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/index.php?title=LA KE_CHAMPLAIN_CVS_39 http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4201/ch11-4.htm Figure 6: 9 February 1971 USS NEW ORLEANS (LPH 11) http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/11 Apollo 14 Pacific Recovery Force cachet 18.html Grossnick, Roy A. (1997). United States Naval Aviation 1910- Following the Apollo 14 mission Shepard, returned to 1995 Washington, D.C.: Naval Historical Center Department his position as Chief of the Astronaut Office in June 1971. of the Navy. Following that, he was promoted to Rear Admiral and then Morris W. Beck Naval Covers retired from both the Navy and NASA on 1 August 1974. http://beck.ormurray.com/numbered.htm During his life he was awarded the Congressional Wolfe, Tom, The Right Stuff. Farrar-Straus-Giroux, New York Space Medal of Honor; two NASA Distinguished Service 1979. Medals, the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, Naval Hoak, Frank M, Naval Cover Fakes, Forgeries and Frauds, Astronaut Wings, the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, Part VIII U.S.C.S. Log September 2008. and the Distinguished Flying Cross. Shepard passed away from leukemia on 21 July 1998 at the age of 74 near his home in Pebble Beach, California. The Navy named a supply ship, USNS ALAN SHEPARD (T- AKE 3), for him in 2006 as shown in Figure 7. Figure 9: The USPS will honor Alan Shepard as the first American in Space in early 2011 with a new “Forever” stamp. What a great opportunity to use on covers sent to the ship for at least her Corner Card since most USNS ships do not have Figure 7: USNS ALAN SHEPARD (T-AKE 3) underway cancels. off San Diego. Page 24 Universal Ship Cancellation Society Log April 2011 Naval Space Aviators This flight is commemorated in Figure 2, which is a Don Tjossem (L-10,987) th First Day of Issue cancellation tied to a 4-cent Project 8109 – 176 Ave KPS Mercury Stamp for Scott # 1193, cancelled on 20 February Longbranch, WA 98351 1962, the day the mission started. The mission decal is [email protected] shown in Figure 3. John H. Glenn, Jr. - Early Naval Space Aviator John Glenn was born on 18 July 1921 in Cambridge, Ohio and presently lives with his wife, Annie in their home state of Ohio. His name is familiar to all of us either as the very first person to orbit the earth or as a very well known United States Senator. Most of the time Glenn is referred to as a United States Marine, but he does qualify as an early Naval Aviation Aviator, as he first enlisted in the United States Navy in March of 1942 as an aviation cadet. He trained at Naval Air Station Olathe, Kansas. (If you have never heard of this Naval Air Station it may because it closed on 30 June 1970, Figure 2: First Day of Issue Project Mercury stamp. over 40 years ago.) It was later in 1943, during advanced training at the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi that he was USS NOA (DD 841) recovered the capsule, containing reassigned to the United States Marine Corps and received Glenn, after it was sighted at an his commission. Very shortly after his commissioning, he altitude of 5,000 feet. Figure 4 married his childhood playmate and high school sweetheart, shows a cover cancelled aboard Annie Margaret Castor, of Columbus, Ohio. NOA with a Type 2 cancel tied to a Scott # 1193, which was also a first During World War II, which was in full swing when he day of issue cancel at that time, but first enlisted, he flew 59 combat missions in the South is not indicated on the cover or Pacific and saw action over the Marshall Islands. Following cancel. Covers with this cachet, the war, he was assigned to Naval Air Station Patuxent Project Mercury stamp and NOA Figure 3 River, Maryland where he was promoted to captain shortly cancel are known to have been backdated and were discussed before the war ended. in detail in the Fakes, Forgeries and Frauds series in the During the Korean War, he flew a F9F Panther jet Log. I cannot verify that the autograph is actually Glenn’s. interceptor for 63 combat missions during his first tour, and The spacecraft, with Glenn inside, was safely aboard NOA on his second tour, he flew 27 missions in the faster F-86F only 21 minutes after it landed. Glenn’s total time of Sabre. In the final days of the war, he shot down three MiG- weightlessness was 4 hours 48 minutes and 27 seconds on 15s near the Yalu River. this trip. In April 1959, he was assigned to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as one of the seven original astronauts for Project Mercury.