Moon Men Return : USS Hornet and the Recovery of the Apollo 11 Astronauts

This book documents the role played by USS Hornet (CVS-12) in the recovery of the Apollo 11 Command Module after its splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on 24 July 1969. The book covers a period of time leading up to the recovery of Apollo 11, from approximately 5 June - 24 July 1969, during which crewmen of USS Hornet plus specialized NASA and DoD spaceflight recovery units prepared for the recovery operation. It offers a detailed account of those preparations, drawn from both historical records and the personal memories of 80 men who served on board USS Hornet and directly participated in the recovery operation. The purpose of this book is to document for future generations the Navy's role in the successful final phase of the historic flight of Apollo 11 - the manned spaceflight which culminated in man's first walk upon another celestial body, the moon.
This book documents the role played by USS Hornet (CVS-12) in the recovery of the Apollo 11 Command Module after its splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on 24 July 1969. The book covers a period of time leading up to the recovery of Apollo 11, from approximately 5 June - 24 July 1969, during which crewmen of USS Hornet plus specialized NASA and DoD spaceflight recovery units prepared for the recovery operation. It offers a detailed account of those preparations, drawn from both historical records and the personal memories of 80 men who served on board USS Hornet and directly participated in the recovery operation. The purpose of this book is to document for future generations the Navy's role in the successful final phase of the historic flight of Apollo 11 - the manned spaceflight which culminated in man's first walk upon another celestial body, the moon. Contents Preface Acronyms USS Hornet (CVS-12) Apollo 11: The BIG One Departure from Long Beach Transit to Pearl Pearl FRIDAY, 4 JULY 1969 SATURDAY, 5 JULY 1969 SUNDAY, 6 JULY 1969 Training at Sea MONDAY, 7 JULY 1969 TUESDAY, 8 JULY 1969 WEDNESDAY, 9 JULY 1969 Final Preparations FRIDAY, 11 JULY 1969 UDT Detachment Apollo En Route to Recovery SATURDAY, 12 JULY 1969 SUNDAY, 13 JULY 1969 MONDAY, 14 JULY 1969 TUESDAY IS JULY 1969 Launch WEDNESDAY, 16 JULY 1969 THURSDAY, 17 JULY 1969 FRIDAY, 18 JULY 1969 SATURDAY, 19 JULY 1969 Return to Earth SUNDAY, 20 JULY 1969 MONDAY, 21 JULY 1969 TUESDAY, 22 JULY 1969 WEDNESDAY, 23 JULY 1969 The Big Day THURSDAY, 24 JULY 1969 FRIDAY, 25 JULY 1969 Bibliography U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS BOOKS PROFESSIONAL ARTICLES, PAPERS, AND PRESENTATIONS NEWSPAPERS AND PERIODICAL ARTICLES WEB SITES PERSONAL INTERVIEWS About the Author This detailed account draws not only on historical records but also on the memories of eighty men who served aboard the Hornet and participated in the recovery operation, including Navy UDT frogman John M. Wolfram, who was the first to reach the Apollo II astronauts. Their inside account offers deck-level perspectives of events and includes details never before documented for the public. Their stories reveal that although the recovery operation looked easy and uneventful, there were many problems to overcome In an account that includes previously unpublished photos and behind-the-scenes stories from 80 men who served aboard the recovery vessel, the USS Hornet, the author describes the exciting splashdown and recovery of Apollo 11, which had just returned from its historic moon mission.